Shawn Spencer: Gypsy
by ilovebleach27
Summary: Shawn Spencer really is psychic. He was born with his abilities. However, that doesn't mean he doesn't have secrets to keep. Being a part of a different race of humans known as the Gypsies can really be a downer when you're trying to start a relationship. Especially with one Carlton Lassiter...
1. Memories, Feelings, and Obliviousness

**Hey everyone! This is my first psychfic! I really love the show Psych and I hope that you will like my take on it! By the way, I don't own Psych or any other referenced thing in here!**

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"Hey Lassie! Got anything for me?"

Carlton Lassiter looked up from one of his many case files to stare into the bright eyes of Shawn Spencer, the Santa Barbara Police Department's 'psychic' consultant. "Go away, Spencer," Lassiter spat. He really wasn't in a good mood today. One of his cases was reaching a dead end and if they couldn't find their suspect soon, the case would quickly be ruled as unsolved.

Lassiter hated cold cases.

"Aw, is Lassie in a bad mood?" Shawn deepened his voice to sound more like Lassiter. "I'm always in a bad mood. It's part of my appearance."

Lassiter just glared at Shawn. "I don't sound like that, Spencer."

Shawn sat cross-legged on the corner of Lassiter's desk, successfully invading the head detective's personal space and, in turn, annoying the hell out of him.

"Whatcha workin' on Lassie?" Shawn asked.

"A case." When Shawn snatched the case file out of his hand, Lassiter took it right back. "It's none of your business!"

Shawn held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, Lassieface. I'm just saying I might be able to help."

Lassiter glared at him again. "I don't need your psychic crap, Spencer."

Lassiter thought he saw hurt in Shawn's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by his childish indifference. "Oh, Lassie. When will you learn?" Shawn chortled.

Although Lassiter didn't believe it, Shawn really did have psychic powers. He was born with them and, being the prideful gypsy that he was, he hated it when someone insulted or even denied the existence of his abilities.

"Never." Lassiter said, bringing Shawn from his thoughts. Lassiter, meanwhile, looked around the office in search of someone who currently wasn't around. "Spencer, why don't you go find Guster and bug him for a while?"

Shawn tapped his lips, pretending to ponder the idea. "I can't." He said simply.

Lassiter rubbed his temples tiredly. Normally, Shawn couldn't bother him this much, but today was different. He was exhausted from working this case. "And why not?"

Shawn immediately got up, pacing back and forth in his sudden anger. "He tricked me!"

Lassiter, a little shaken by Shawn's sudden mood swing and not really understanding yet why the consultant couldn't leave, asked, "How?"

Shawn brushed his hand in the air dismissively. "I don't even know where he got it from…"

"Got what?" Lassiter asked again, getting frustrated with Shawn's vagueness.

Shawn turned to Lassiter. "Gypsy scrolls!"

Lassiter blinked. "I'm sorry. What?"

This time, Shawn glared at Lassiter, which was surprising because he never glared at anyone. "I don't think I trust you enough to tell you that Lassie."

Lassiter snorted. "Since when do you have trust issues, Spencer?"

"Since my laws state not to tell you these things."

"Oh, come off it, Spencer!" Lassiter yelled. "You're not a damn gypsy! You don't have different laws!"

Shawn glared again. It was one thing to insult his abilities, but to insult his heritage was on a completely different scale. "You have no right to say that, Lassiefrass." Shawn may have said that in a lightened tone, but it was laced with a warning that Lassiter apparently didn't notice. He pushed himself up with his hands to come to eye level with Shawn.

"I have every right to call out a con-artist. You've never once tried to prove yourself other than your _fake_ psychic visions!"

Shawn sighed. Why was Lassiter making a big deal out of this all of a sudden? "I shouldn't even have to prove myself. You're lucky I even bother with the police." Shawn muttered.

Lassiter stared at Shawn, genuinely surprised. He'd never seen Spencer truly angry. He was always so carefree. Seeing Shawn so pissed off and having said anger directed right at him was unsettling at the very least. Lassiter decided he really didn't like it. However, that didn't mean he was going to back down. The younger man did just insult the police. "Are you insinuating that you are better than the police?" Lassiter seethed. "Cause I beg to differ."

Shawn took a breath. If there was one thing his mentor had taught him, it was to have patience with people like Lassiter. _He'll come around soon enough._ Shawn thought. _Then he might see why I've stuck around…_

Shawn shook his head. He knew Lassiter would never see him that way, regardless of how he felt. That didn't mean he would stop bugging Lassiter. He loved messing with him. "I don't think I'm better than the police," Shawn explained. "I just know I'd get into a lot of trouble if I were found out by some certain… radicals."

Lassiter narrowed his eyes. "You're joking."

Shawn forced his face to brighten. _No use in fighting against him all day. Might as well as make the best of it._ "Nope! Not joking, but it seems I am once again unable to persuade you so how about we stop bickering like an old married couple? Besides," Shawn said before Lassiter could retort. "Jules is here!"

Lassiter looked around. "No she's not."

Shawn smirked. "Guess again!"

Just then, Juliet O'Hara walked through the SBPD entrance and to her desk. Shawn hadn't even turned around. He was just grinning like an idiot at Lassiter.

This was one of the many times where Lassiter would just grumble incoherent insults and return to his work. The reason being because he had no idea how to retort. During moments like these, Lassiter seriously doubted whether he was right on the whole 'Spencer isn't psychic' thing.

Meanwhile, Shawn decided to leave Lassiter to his brooding to go and talk to Juliet. She seemed a little off today, if her emotions were anything to go by. Shawn sat down in the chair next to her desk, asking, "Care to tell me what's wrong, Jules?"

Juliet sighed. "It's this case. It's been nagging at me night and day!"

Shawn brightened up a bit. Maybe he might get on a case after all. "Is it the one Lassie's been working on?" _That would just be a plus._ Shawn thought.

"Yeah. There's something we're missing. You know, besides our lead suspect."

Shawn furrowed his brow. "You're missing your suspect?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we aren't missing something else." She sat down in her chair, stacked her case folders, and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "There's something connecting the victims, but we can't figure it out."

Shawn smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure you can figure it out. Unless," he started. "You're in need of my… assistance?"

Juliet smiled back. Smiles were infectious. "How'd you know?"

Shawn put his fingers to his temple, a gesture that Juliet took as him saying, 'I'm psychic, remember'?

Putting his hand down, Shawn said, "So, what do you have on the case?"

Juliet sorted through the files she had just stacked, messing them up again. She pulled one out and handed it over to Shawn. He hesitated before taking it; he hated it when he had visions of the people who had touched the folder previously. Once, he'd had a vision of Buzz McNab with his wife. Needless to say he did not want to see that again.

Once the folder was in his hands his vision shifted to that of the man they were searching for. According to his instincts he was currently viewing the present location of the man. Shawn separated himself from viewing through the suspect's eyes and was now looking through his own as an invisible bystander.

Shawn didn't know the exact way his abilities worked. He normally just went by his instincts and by what his mentor had taught him. So, Shawn did the first thing that came to mind. He observed his surroundings. They were in the diner next to the police station. _Now why in the hell is he outside of a police station when he's a wanted man?_ Shawn wondered. Looking in the man's hand Shawn realized why.

The man had a gun.

Shawn forced himself to return to his body. Looking around the station, he noticed everyone was where they were supposed to be. Juliet was staring at him worriedly (she didn't like it when Shawn went into 'vision mode'), McNab was at his desk talking on the phone, Chief Vick was in her office and Lassie was…

"Hey, Jules?" He asked, his voice in a bit of a tremble.

"Yeah Shawn?"

"Where's Lassie?"

Juliet looked confused. "He went to get some coffee from the diner. Why? Didn't you hear him say he was leaving?"

Shawn's eyes widened in fear. He jumped up and was out the door in record time. He didn't even give Juliet the chance to ask what was wrong. He ran into the diner, seeing Lassiter grabbing his coffee. He sighed in relief, Lassie hadn't been shot.

Shawn looked around the diner and, sure enough, his gaze fell on the suspect with his gun under the table.

Shawn could feel the emotion running off of the suspect. He, for some reason, had a lot of hate for something Shawn couldn't quite put his finger on. Shawn shook his head. He didn't have time to figure out the details. He had to get Lassie away from the diner. He didn't want him to get shot.

So, Shawn put on his usual happy-go-lucky face and practically skipped – albeit hurriedly – to Lassiter.

Upon seeing Spencer, Lassiter rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Spencer? I came here for a reason." To get away from you, was what he wanted to add, but decided against it.

Shawn just smiled. "Well, there's been a change in plans. Jules needs to see you right away." He said, grabbing Lassiter's arm and pulling him to the door.

Lassiter, however, was having none of that. He was on break and O'Hara knew that. She never bugged him on his break unless it was really important. "What does she need me for?"

Without missing a beat, Shawn said, "She didn't tell me. Now let's go."

"Hold on, Spencer. You'd better not be playing one of your elaborate pranks on me." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously when Shawn kept watching someone behind him. "What's got your panties in a knot?"

Shawn closed his eyes to breathe a calming breath. When he opened them, Lassiter saw genuine worry and fear etched into his face. The young man lowered his voice to a whisper. "Don't turn around. Your suspect is in the diner. Just walk out, grab some officers, and then take him down."

A million questions came to Lassiter's mind. For example, how did Shawn know this information, and, why didn't he have O'Hara come with him? Instead, though, he asked, "Why can't I do it now?"

"He has a gun, Lassie!" Shawn scolded.

Just then, Shawn felt a shift in the angry suspect's emotions. Shawn knew that he had to do something quick before a lot of people were caught in the crossfire, for the emotional shift was a redirection. Now the man was angry at Shawn. For what reason? Shawn didn't know. He wasn't a full-blown mind reader… yet.

"Lassie, please," Shawn pleaded. At the unabated look on Lassiter's face, Shawn compromised. "I can keep him here. I won't let him go."

Lassiter snorted. "That is one of the dumbest ideas you have proposed yet, Spencer. I'm not letting a civilian go near a murder suspect."

Shawn laughed humorlessly. "I think it's safe to say he's your guy. Now let's get going." He started pulling Lassiter out of range again, who followed this time. "I'll be fine, Lassie. He won't even know I'm here." Shawn lied. He knew something had made the man shift his anger and Shawn would find out whether he wanted to or not. That was just Shawn's luck.

Lassiter nodded. "Don't do anything stupid." This went against everything he stood for, but he knew he didn't have his gun on him, nor did any of the other officers. Chief Vick had requested that this be protocol when out leisurely. Silently, he cursed that rule, now more than ever. Spencer was in the line of fire and, for a reason Lassiter didn't want to admit at this moment in time, that put him on edge. Shaking his head, Lassiter walked briskly away towards the station thinking he'd best not dwell too long on those thoughts and focus on the task at hand.

Shawn turned around and walked towards the purchase counter. He decided to order something because, for one, it gave him a reason to stay in the diner and, two, it would make it easier to act like he wasn't watching the suspect. Even though he wasn't in the mood to put anything in his stomach, Shawn sat down while sipping his pineapple Slurpee in the back of the diner where he could keep an eye on the guy.

Whoever this guy was, he really knew how to be inconspicuous, considering he had brought a gun into a diner full of police officers while going unnoticed. Though, as Shawn studied the man further, he wondered how that was even possible for him. The man was dressed lavishly in bright red clothing, which was kind of ironic considering he… _Not going there, man._ Shawn scolded himself. _That's a low blow to the dead._ Though he didn't show it in public, Shawn held great honor for the dead, as was the custom of his people. They, after all, were one of the main sources of his powers.

Turning away from the man who gave him the creeps, Shawn turned towards the entrance of the police station that could be seen through the diner window, watching for Lassiter to come running out. And, sure enough, Lassiter ran through the police station doors, dragging Jules along with him.

Shawn smiled. He loved it when Lassiter got all serious, especially when he was doing it to protect Shawn. Of course, Shawn knew Lassiter was only there to catch the murderer, but he still let himself believe that Lassiter was there for him.

Shawn was so captivated by his own thoughts that he didn't think about the fact that his back was turned to the murder suspect. He didn't even notice the man had gotten up and was standing right behind him until Lassiter burst through the door with Juliet in tow shouting, "No! Spencer, you idiot! Look behind you!"

Shawn didn't even get the chance to turn before he felt something press against his skull.

A gun.

"Drop the weapon, Marshall," Lassiter yelled angrily. "Or I won't hesitate to shoot you."

The man sneered at Lassiter. "Why should I let this… thing go free?" Noticing the increasing anger on the head detective's face, the man named Marshall asked, "You don't get it, do you?"

Juliet had her gun trained on Marshall, looking for any sign of an opening. "Get what?" She asked. "That you're killing people?"

"C'mon guys!" Shawn reasoned in a panic. "Let's work this out peacefully. Why don't you, Marshall, go with the nice police lady and the grumpy policeman and work out your problems? You've obviously got a lot of problems if you're killing people, but"-

"Shut up!" Marshal said as he covered Shawn's mouth with is free hand.

The one thing about Shawn's abilities that he really doesn't like is the fact that every time someone touches him or he touches them he has visions of what they've done or will do. Right now? Shawn was seeing this man hovering over a mother defending her child who was maybe seven years old. The mother had red silk binding her hands, so she wasn't really going to be able to put up a fight. The child was bound as well.

The mother and child were obviously gypsies if the red silk was anything to go by. His mentor had always taught him to look out for red silk because if it is tied to a gypsy, his or her powers are rendered useless. If Shawn were in a better situation, he might've laughed and said red silk is to gypsies as Kryptonite is to Superman.

Currently, however, Shawn was not in a better situation. He was being forced to watch the horrendous sight before him. If he tried to look away to the left, there were people just sitting there, cowering in fear and bloodied from what Shawn could tell was most likely from torture. If he looked to his right, there were three dead bodies piled on top of each other, each with their own set of torture wounds and a final gash to their throats. Shawn couldn't physically feel anything in any of his visions, but if he could, he'd be vomiting from the amount of blood in the room. The coppery smell that covered the area was almost enough to cover up the smell of bile and rotting corpses.

Almost.

So, Shawn forced himself to watch the scene unravel before him, hoping to shed some light on why this man was doing what he was doing.

"Why are you doing this?" The woman cried.

"Because it must be done." He said softly.

"Don't. Please. You don't have to do this. Take me, please. Take me and not my son!"

He slapped her across the face, making her and the son scream in fear. "No!" The man shouted. "You all need to die! You are not normal, so therefore you are not meant to live in this world!"

"What the hell kind of logic is that?" The woman spat through her tears.

"Logic? I don't need logic to deal with something like you people." Marshall grabbed the woman by her long hair, pulling it back painfully so her neck was exposed. He pulled out a knife with his free hand. "Goodbye, freak." He said as he sliced her neck open, her seven year old son watching not three feet away. The others in the room screamed, but none was more bloodcurdling than that of the son. Shawn looked to the right at the corpses of those killed by Marshall's hand as the boy was silenced not ten seconds later.

Coming back to the present, Shawn felt tears running down his face. He wasn't scared for his life anymore. The thought of fear was taken away the moment he watched the light leave the woman's eyes. _I don't even know her name…_ Shawn thought miserably, feeling the bile rising from his stomach.

"You fucking bastard!" Shawn shouted, surprising Lassiter and Juliet. "How many did you kill? How many of my people did you murder?"

"Spencer, calm down." Lassiter reasoned. "He's got a gun to your head."

Shawn glared at Lassiter, squirming in Marshall's grasp. "No! He killed them, Lassie! He killed them for being who they are!"

Shawn flicked his wrist, sending the gun in Marshall's hand flying. Shawn then proceeded to turn around and punch Marshall in the face. It hurt like hell, but Shawn didn't care. He was going to kill Marshall. However, Shawn didn't get the chance to give him another blow because Lassiter was holding him back while Juliet cuffed him. "Let me go, damn it!" Shawn shouted. "I'll kill him!"

Lassiter, meanwhile, had no idea what was going on. He'd never seen Shawn this angry before and, frankly, it was a scary sight. When he was angry at Lassiter back in the station was nothing compared to what Shawn was feeling right now. "I'm not letting go until you tell me what the hell you saw when he touched you!" Lassiter yelled at the squirming Spencer.

Shawn stopped moving and Lassiter let him go, even though he was standing in such a way as to grab Shawn in case he took off towards the station. The young man turned towards Lassiter, who was surprised to see tears falling down Shawn's cheeks.

"He killed all those people, Lassie. He killed them because they were gypsies."

Shawn then proceeded to wretch repeatedly onto the floor, causing all the officers who had stayed to watch the scene unfold to back away. Only Lassiter approached Shawn. He wasn't the best at comforting, but he had to do what he could for Shawn. Even though Lassiter would never admit it aloud, he wanted to see Spencer's smiling face again, if only to bring some normalcy to this depressing atmosphere. It sounded like a selfish reason, but it was the only one Lassiter could come up with that seemed logical. The other explanation – the truth – was too farfetched for anyone to even begin to comprehend.

The truth was that Lassiter cared for Shawn immensely and, dare he say it, he loved the younger man for all he was worth, though he didn't show it. He knew his love was unrequited, but that didn't mean he didn't still have feelings for Spencer. Sometimes, with the way Spencer threw himself around – especially at Lassiter – he would get so caught up in the moment that the minute Shawn landed in Lassiter's arms he would pin the younger man to the wall to engage in a mind-blowing make-out session, but then, at the last second, he would realize where he was, what he was doing, and who he was with and pull away, hating himself so much for his feelings that he took it out on Spencer with some piss poor retort.

And today? Today Lassiter almost lost Shawn to a damn racist. He wasn't about to let that happen again. But, for now, he had to comfort Shawn as best he could. "Spencer," Lassiter started, but he couldn't even finish his sentence because Spencer was yelling at him and backing away from him.

"You wouldn't understand, Lassie! You don't know how closely knitted together our people are." Shawn paused, his anger shifting from Lassiter to himself. "I should've known. I should've done something!"

"Spencer, you're being unreasonable!"

Shawn glared at Lassiter again. "You don't understand…"

Lassiter snorted. "I don't understand? I think you've got this all wrong, Spencer. _You_ don't understand. You're putting the blame on yourself when it wasn't even your fault! The Powers That Be or whatever determines your psychic visions didn't send you anything to work with, so how in the hell could you possibly know what was going on?" Lassiter explained.

Shawn looked at Lassiter incredulously. "Are you saying that you believe in my abilities?"

"I do." Lassiter said without missing a beat. "I was just too closed-minded to admit it." He admitted.

Shawn stared at the ground, shifting his feet awkwardly. "Thanks, Lassie." He looked back up only to see Lassiter standing right next to him, which startled him. Usually when someone moved, Shawn could sense his or her aura move as well, even when he wasn't concentrating on that specific person. That was how he knew Jules was coming into the station earlier that day.

With Lassiter, though, Shawn could never read the man. That's why the older man always had him guessing, which Shawn had grown to appreciate. Lassiter gave him a sense of normalcy that no other person in the world could. Shawn smiled slightly to himself. He remembered when that used to bother him, but his mentor had cleared that up fairly well, meaning she gave absolutely no clarity on the subject but somehow making him feel better about the whole situation. Shawn remembered that conversation very well, actually. He was sitting in his mentor's tent at the gypsy camp outside of town a couple years ago…

"Shawn?" His mentor began. "What's eating you?"

Shawn sighed tiredly. "It's that head detective." Shawn said. "You remember him, right? The brooding one?"

"Lassiter?"

"Yeah." He said.

"Why is he bothering you so much, child?" She asked.

"I can't read him. I can't feel his emotions, his aura, I can't see his past or future… nothing."

His mentor smiled knowingly. She'd seen this many times in the gypsy community. "It will all become clear eventually, Shawn. Just give it time." She paused, then, "Why is this bothering you so much?"

Shawn ran a hand through his hair as he said, "It's just… I don't know… It just does. I can read anybody I want to, but the person I want to read the most isn't open to me."

His mentor raised an eyebrow, an amused glint in her eyes. "You want to read _him_ more than anything?"

Shawn's eyes widened in realization of what he'd just said. "Um… I uh… That is…" He stammered, his cheeks ablaze and red.

His mentor just laughed. "Don't worry my child. I will not judge you, for who am I to do it?"

Shawn sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Shawn opened his eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed to look up at Lassiter and take in his surroundings. Somehow they'd ended up outside of the diner.

"What should I do?" Shawn asked.

"What do you mean?" Lassiter asked in return.

"Although I'd very much like to, I can't just waltz into the station and kill him, and I'd be tempted to if I stayed. What should I do?"

Lassiter looked pensive for a moment, realized something, and pulled a notepad out to write something on it. He pulled the paper off the pad, folded it and gave it to Shawn while saying, "Don't read it till I'm in the station, got it?"

Shawn looked at the paper questionably for a second, then back to Lassiter, who was blushing slightly. _Whatever's in this note must be pretty good._

Shawn smiled at Lassiter. "Okay." He said simply.

Lassiter nodded slightly and walked away. He knew he would probably regret this later, but he had to make sure Shawn was okay. Lassiter may have a lot of case files to go through as well as an interrogation, but some of those things will have to wait. _Marshall can rot in a cell for all I care…_ He thought petulantly. As much joy as it would bring Lassiter in cracking the bastard, Shawn was his top priority right now. He'd taken precedence over everything the detective did the day Shawn was kidnapped with a gunshot wound in his side. Now, after almost losing Shawn again, after seeing Shawn with so much fear in his eyes, he had to make sure Shawn was okay. Lassiter had to or else he wouldn't sleep tonight. _Maybe this will help him feel better._ Lassiter thought. He hoped so or else he would have no idea what else to do.

Shawn watched Lassiter's back impatiently as he walked back to the station, waiting diligently for the second those glass doors to close behind him. After several agonizing minutes of waiting, Shawn gained his reward. He opened the note. God, he felt like a sixteen year old girl who'd just gotten a note from her current crush. _I guess I'm not that far off with that one…_ Shawn sighed, sad that he was right in comparing himself to a girl.

Turning back to the note, Shawn read through Lassiter's chicken scratch.

Meet me at the station after I get off work.

There're some things I want to ask you.

Shawn's heat rate quickened. What could Lassiter possibly want to ask him? Why couldn't Lassiter have asked Shawn when he was standing right in front of him? _It must be pretty important._ Shawn thought. _I'd better wait and see._

Shawn, however, was not very good at being patient and he really didn't want to be alone, so he decided he needed a distraction. _Gus should be off work soon. I should go see if he wants to get something to eat._ Though he wasn't very hungry after the incident with Marshall, he decided that would be his best option. He'd probably get hungry if food was placed in front of him, though it was highly unlikely. _Besides, I have to figure out how the hell he got gypsy scrolls in the first place._

Gypsy scrolls were a type of parchment used in making any sort of agreement, whether it was personal or business related. Usually, it was a well-kept secret in the gypsy community that the stuff even existed. The reason being because if a gypsy signed the paper, he or she would be forced to do whatever the contract said he or she would be agreeing to do. _Whoever Gus got it from is gonna be in huge trouble._ Shawn thought. He just hoped Gus wouldn't get into trouble as well.

So, with a goal in mind, Shawn headed over to his bike and drove off to the pharmacy where Gus worked at. He made it just as Gus was walking outside. "Hey buddy!" Shawn greeted cheerily. It was good to see his best friend after the day he'd had. "How's it going?"

Gus narrowed his eyes. If there was one thing that Gus could tell after years of friendship with the other man it was noticing when something was wrong with him. Shawn always kept himself in pristine condition, contrary to popular belief. It was something he learned from his father. The way Shawn's shirt was wrinkled and his hair was disheveled made Gus think there was definitely something wrong.

"Something happened, didn't it?" Gus said as more of a statement than a question.

Shawn sighed. "I was hoping you'd be my distraction." Then, "How do you even do that? You make me wonder if you're the psychic and not me."

Gus rolled his eyes. "Shawn, we've been friends for how long now? I think I'm entitled to knowing things about you."

"Aw Gus! You're like the Bonnie to my Clyde, except you're not a woman and we don't get into nefarious plots that will ultimately add to our criminal record and early demise. Although I question the woman part on a daily basis…"

Gus grinned. "You learn 'nefarious' all by yourself? You must be hanging out with Lassiter too much."

Shawn just shrugged. "Whatever buddy. Let's go grab some grub. I'll fill you in when we get there."

So, Gus got in the blueberry while Shawn got on his bike. Shawn led the way to his own apartment, where he dropped his bike off and hopped in Gus' car. "So," Gus began. "What happened?"

Shawn sighed. He was hoping they could do this somewhere else. Somewhere where Gus wouldn't ask too many questions. Like in a public place. He knew Gus would freak out for not telling him sooner. He really wished he didn't have to, but his friend had him cornered. So, he started his explanation from the time he had the vision to the time he was held hostage and Lassiter saved him. He conveniently left out the fact that Lassiter had asked him to meet him after work. Gus didn't know about his feelings for the head detective and Shawn was sure that if Gus found out that he agreed to meet up with Lassiter at the end of his shift he might get suspicious. Shawn really didn't want to be the one to explain why he agreed.

"So that's what happened." Gus said.

"That's what happened." Shawn repeated.

There was a beat of silence shared between the two men before Gus finally freaked. "What the hell Shawn? Do you have a death wish? Do you want to get shot in the head? Cause that's all I got from this situation. You went after Marshall knowing he had a gun! You knew and you didn't even thing to bring Juliet or McNab or anybody else friendly with a gun with you! What were you thinking?"

Shawn understood that his best friend was only saying this for his own good, but it still irritated the hell out of him that he wasn't being trusted. "Gus, I knew what I was getting myself into. I probably wasn't thinking clearly. I'll give you that, but if Lassie had been shot and killed I don't know what I would be like right now. Especially since I knew the guy was out there and I had worried about my own safety instead of Lassie's. I would never forgive myself! So why don't we just leave it at that and think about something else?"

With that, Shawn and Gus drove in an uncomfortable silence the rest of the way to the pizza place they both really liked. As they both got out of the car, Shawn couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, buddy. I'm tired of this… silent fighting thing we've got going on right now. I know you've only got my best interests at heart"-

"You know that's right." Gus interrupted.

Shawn glared, shutting Gus up. "But I don't like the fact you think I just rush into every single situation I get myself into."

Gus crossed his arms. "You have yet to prove that otherwise."

"Okay. I'll give you that too." Shawn said, receiving a nod from Gus. "But I didn't this time. I just… was acting stupid and not thinking. Usually when I rush into something I have some inkling of a plan, but this time all I could think about was Lassie and getting him away from there. Can't we just get on with life and say that both of us are alive and okay?"

Gus contemplated this for a second, then finally accepted it with a nod of approval. "Okay Shawn. I'm glad you and Lassiter are okay. Let's drop the subject and go get something to eat. I'm starving! Somebody at work put the wrong medicine in the wrong pill bottles. I spent the entire day fixing it. We're lucky the medicine wasn't shipped out already…"

As Gus trailed on, only to stop when he ordered his pizza, Shawn couldn't help but feel a little better. He still didn't feel a hundred percent, but Gus was able to relax him a little bit as a best friend should be able to do. Gus never again asked about what happened between Marshall and him and instead became the distraction that Shawn wanted him to be. For that, Shawn was grateful.

"So," Gus started as the two friends were walking out of the pizza place. "Do you want me to drop you off at your apartment?"

Shawn was about to say yes, but then he remembered his 'date' with Lassiter. _I had so much fun with Gus I'd almost forgotten._ He thought to himself. "No. But you can drop me off at the station."

Gus narrowed his eyes at Shawn. "And why is that?"

Shawn blanched for a second, then came to his wits by saying, "I think I left something at there when I went off to save Lassie. Oh, I was so brave, wasn't I? I should start a bodyguard service…"

"Shawn?"

"Hmm?" Shawn said, looking up from his rant.

"I'll drop you off at the station, but I'm sorry to say you'll have to find your own way home. I have some… uh… business to take care of."

Shawn smiled brightly. "Oh my God. Gus has a lady! Who is it? It better not be Shelby What's-her-name from Junior year. Does she even still live here? I heard she got an STD from sleeping with the football team…"

"Shawn, everyone knows she had an STD. She told people she got it from you! That's why you started that rumor about the football team in the first place."

Shawn stopped. "Oh. So that's why I hated her so much." Narrowing his eyes at Gus, Shawn said, "You do know I don't have an STD, right?"

Gus said nothing.

"Right?"

"I'll believe it when you get tested." Gus said while walking away swiftly to his car.

Shawn's jaw dropped, astonished that Gus would say that. The man quickly followed his friend to the blueberry, shouting, "Oh, come on buddy! Why can't you believe my word?"

"Because I know the way you were in high school, Shawn."

"Touché." Shawn said quietly. "Wait!" He said as he sat down in the passenger seat of the car. "Is that why you carry hand sanitizer with you everywhere you go? C'mon Gus! Low blow! Where's the love?"

"I ain't gettin' it from you, that's for sure." Gus countered. "Not till you get tested."

"You really want me to get tested for an STD?"

Gus nodded. "Yes Shawn. I do. You never know. You could have something and you wouldn't even know it." Gus turned the steering wheel and pulled up to the front of the station. "You know," he started. "I could get you an appointment to get tested. I have 'doctor friends' as you like to call them."

Shawn thought about that statement for a second, considering whether or not to take his best friend up on his offer. Deciding it couldn't hurt, he said yes. "I'll do it tomorrow after my appointment." Shawn stepped out of the car, but before he left he leaned down on the rolled-down window saying, "Can you make the doctor appointment by then?"

"Yeah," Gus said. "I'll make some calls."

"Thanks." Shawn smiled. He tapped the top of the blueberry. "See ya later buddy."

"See you Shawn."

Gus then drove off right as Shawn turned around towards the station. He pulled out his phone to check the time. It was eight o'clock, which meant he was right on time to meet Lassiter as he got off work. _Actually he should be coming out of the building right about… now._

Sure enough, Lassiter walked out of the building looking as perfect as he did when he walked in at the start of his shift. At least, that's the way he looked to those who didn't know him very well. Shawn, however, could see the flaws in his appearance. For example, Lassiter always carried his notepad and three pens somewhere on his person. He had the notepad, but it was in the wrong pocket. His pens were misplaced. His hair looked as if it had been run through by his hands multiple times. He even had slightly darker circles under his eyes than he normally did. Something had been bothering him all day and Shawn somehow found it reasonable to take it upon himself to figure out what it was.

Lassiter, meanwhile, was feeling like utter shit. He was a nervous wreck all day because he kept wondering why he'd asked Spencer to meet him after work. He kept telling himself it was because he wanted to make sure he was okay, but Lassiter knew better than that. He'd also found out some very disturbing information from Marshall and he wasn't sure if he should tell Spencer about it or not. If he kept it from him, Spencer would just find out eventually and get angry at him for keeping it to himself. If he told him, it would only worry Spencer more than he already was.

Not many people know this (and the ones who did kept it quiet), but Lassiter watched Shawn a lot. There were little things that Shawn had to make sure he did (Lassiter guessed) before he even thought about going out into public. For example, his shirts always looked perfect, no wrinkles in sight. The only things on his shirt that could even resemble wrinkles were the creases he put on his shirt to make his more desirable features look more prominent and the so-called less desirable features not so noticeable. His hair was always messy but, if he got close enough, Lassiter could smell the product he used to make it that way.

Today, however, wrinkles had appeared on Shawn's shirt and his hair was everywhere but where it normally was. He was obviously more distraught than he was letting on, if that fake smile was anything to go by. As Lassiter got closer to Shawn, the look in his eyes confirmed that the smaller man was hurting.

Lassiter made his way over to Shawn, standing a whole head taller over him. They stood in silence for a minute or so, only to cave in to the question that was plaguing them both since they'd made eye contact.

"Are you alright?" They both said at the same time.

"Uh…" Shawn said.

"You first." Lassiter replied.

Shawn dropped his eye contact from the taller man. "Let's go somewhere else. I'd rather not let the whole police station hear me and I'm sure you wouldn't want them to see you hanging with me."

Lassiter winced slightly at the pained look on Shawn's face as he said that. Lassiter, in all honesty, had grown to appreciate Shawn's company. He used to despise the fact that he had to hang around the younger man, but that was only because he was afraid he'd sexually attack Shawn right where he stood. Over the years Lassiter had learned control, but sometimes it became a little too hard to handle and he had to walk away. Right now it wasn't as bad, but Lassiter could still sense that tingly feeling he got when he was around Shawn in the back of his mind. _Tonight is going to be rough._ Lassiter thought. _I'm just going to have to suffer through it._ "Come on then. Have you eaten anything?"

Shawn shook his head as he walked over to Lassiter's car. "I went with Gus to the pizza place down the road from my apartment but I just wasn't hungry."

Lassiter was surprised. Shawn was always hungry. _It must really be bothering him._ Lassiter thought miserably. And I can't do a thing to help him…

As the two men sat down in Lassiter's black squad car, a kind of uncomfortable silence developed between them. As it became more and more unbearable, Lassiter was the first one to crack by asking, "Anywhere specific you want to go?"

"What? You mean for food? Lassie, I told you I wasn't hungry. You don't have to get me anything."

Lassiter just scowled at Shawn as he started the car. "You're eating. I don't care if you just eat a small salad. I'm not having you skipping meals."

Shawn just stared. Was Lassiter showing genuine concern towards him? "I think I'm dreaming."

"About what?"

"About you actually caring about me." Shawn said while staring down conveniently at his hands.

_That's it._ Lassiter thought. _Enough of this._ "You think I don't care about you?" Lassiter scoffed. "What gave you that idea?"

It was Shawn's turn to glare. "How about all the times you've pushed me or yelled at me or made me feel like I wasn't good enough?"

"That was…" He couldn't really tell the truth now could he?

"Yeah. That's what I thought. You don't have a reason. You're just doing this because you feel sorry for me. I hate pity so let's just end this now and you can take me home."

Lassiter was getting frustrated. Why did the conversation have to take such a negative turn? He wasn't very good at the talking thing. That's why these next words surprised even him. "Shawn, I'm sorry I've made you feel that way but that's not the way I feel about you. For reasons unknown to me I care about you more than I've ever cared about another human being in my life. I'm not doing this out of pity for you. I'm taking you to dinner because I want to know if you're alright! No one deserves to spend a night alone after that! Once again, I'm sorry I've made you feel that way. I'm just not good at conveying feelings I guess."

Shawn was speechless. For one, Lassiter had called him by his first name. Second, Lassiter said he cared about him more than anyone else. How was that even possible? He had Jules and Karen and McNab and, hell, he should even care about his ex-wife more than him! What did he do that warranted this? Shawn wanted to ask all of the questions he had, but only one came out. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you feel this way about me?" When Lassiter gave Shawn a questioning look, Shawn said, "I'm nothing but second rate. I can't hold onto anything long enough to get serious about it. Not even a career."

"You also act childish, as if you were still stuck in high school," Lassiter said. "But that still doesn't change the fact that I care about you." He paused, wondering whether he should say his next statement. Deciding for it, he said, "I guess I find those qualities… appealing."

The red tint on each other's faces did not go unnoticed by the other, but instead of saying anything, Lassiter stopped the car. Clearing his throat, Lassiter said, "We're here."

"Aw!" Shawn playfully whined. "I thought I was choosing the place to eat!"

Lassiter shook his head, a slight smile playing at his lips. "You would've only chosen a greasy pizza place or a Chinese restaurant with food full of MSGs. You don't need any of that. It will only make you sick."

Shawn smirked. "Lassie is watching out for me? Will you hold my hand when we cross the street? I'm only thirty-three years old. I can't do it by myself!"

Lassiter rolled his eyes. When he turned around to face Shawn, a mischievous thought came to mind. _Let's see how he'd react._ So, he did something completely out of character and held his hand out. Shawn just looked so confused that Lassiter almost laughed right there but instead he stood his ground and kept his hand out with a straight face while saying, "Well? Are you coming or not?"

Shawn chewed on his bottom lip, a nervous habit he thought he'd lost in high school but decided to reappear now. _Should I take it or not? Is he being serious? Does he know I was just kidding? Goddammit I sound like a school girl!_ Shawn thought. So, instead of confronting the problem like he should, Shawn redirected it towards humor like he always did. "Oh, Lassieface! If you wanted to hold my hand that bad you could've just asked!" Then, Shawn took his hand.

On the outside, Lassiter was as stoic as always, but right now, that's not at all how he felt. He could feel every twitch in the muscles in Shawn's hand as it wrapped around his own. He could feel the warmth it radiated. As they walked, Shawn's warm hand sent goose-bumps down up his arms, making Lassiter have to resist a shudder. How could a simple contact such as hand-holding do this to him? _It's not the gesture,_ Lassiter thought. _It's the person._

Once inside the restaurant, the hostess asked, "Table for two, I'm guessing?"

"Yes." Lassiter said distractedly.

"Okay then!" She said cheerfully. "And might I add that you two are good for each other. I don't know why, but I've always been able to read people pretty well and you two make a great couple."

Shawn and Lassiter looked at each other, shocked by the bold statement made by the hostess. Shawn's face, Lassiter noticed, had turned a bright shade of red. Lassiter was sure his was no better but he was more concerned with why she thought they were a couple. Right as he was about to ask her if she'd been spying on them, Shawn pulled him back with the hand he was still holding. As if something clicked in their minds, they both pulled away from each other, the red tint of their faces growing to a darker shade of red. "Sorry." Shawn said. Lassiter ignored the comment and Shawn just took that as Lassiter's own way of saying, 'It's okay.'

They were seated in the back and out of everyone's way, meaning they were out of view of the people in the place, but Shawn and Lassiter could see everyone else. It was habit for people who had been through and saw as much as the two men had to find vantage points to watch from. Some called it paranoia. They called it being prepared.

Both the men sat in silence, only breaking it when it was time to order. Surprisingly, Lassiter was the one to break it after the waitress had left. "Listen, if you're uncomfortable with this, I can just take you home."

Shawn perked up. "Uncomfortable? I was just sitting in silence because I wanted to see what you'd do!" He laughed. "It was becoming very difficult though…"

Lassiter just glared at him, but Shawn could see the hint of amusement behind those beautiful blue eyes. "So you're not uncomfortable sitting here with me."

"No. Are you? Cause I can understand being uncomfortable sitting with yourself. Astral Projection is not fun if you ask me." Shawn said.

"No. That's not what I mean… wait. Astral Projection is real?" Lassiter asked.

"Of course it is! Just like visions of the past, present, and future are real. It's just only gypsies are able to do it."

Lassiter nodded. "Huh. Didn't know that." Then, a thought came to mind. "What about telekinesis?"

Shawn tilted his head. "Well that's an odd turn, but yes. It is possible, but only if you're a really powerful gypsy. I've personally never met a gypsy who had enough power to have telekinesis. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Lassiter began, fidgeting with his hands. "I noticed something when you were… in temporary distress."

"You mean, when I was Marshall's hostage?" Shawn said bluntly.

"Yes…" Lassiter sighed. He hated it when Shawn got caught up in things like that.

"What did you see?"

Lassiter sighed again. "I noticed you knocked the gun out of his hand."

"Yeah? Your point Lassie?"

Lassiter looked surprised. "You really don't know?" Shawn shook his head. "You didn't touch the gun. You just flicked your wrist and it flew."

Shawn's eyes widened. "That's not possible… Not for me… I can't… You have to be joking right? Please say you're joking!"

The detective was confused. Why was Shawn so against the idea that he could have telekinesis? "I'm sorry Spencer. I'm just telling you what I saw. What's so bad with the idea that you might have a little bit more power than most?"

Shawn buried his face in his hands. "Shit…" He said. "What am I gonna tell Hera?"

Lassiter was, once again, left in the dark. "Who is Hera?" He asked.

Shawn looked up. "She's my teacher, mentor, whatever you want to call her…" He said. Then, "If you'd like, I can let you meet her. She said she wanted to meet you."

Lassiter scrunched his face up, which Shawn thought was very unlike him. "Why does she want to meet me? Do you talk about me?"

Shawn scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Lassiter thought it was cute. _Wait… Spencer, cute? I really must have it bad._ He thought.

"Y-yeah. Sometimes you just pop up in passing conversation. And…" He trailed off, not sure whether or not to say what he was going to. He couldn't look Lassiter in the eyes. No way. Shawn Spencer was - dare he say it! Shawn Spencer was embarrassed.

"And?" Lassiter said, thoroughly amused. He'd never seen Shawn so embarrassed before and, honestly? It was endearing.

"And sometimes… I visit Hera with only one thing on my mind."

Lassiter tried and failed to hide a smirk. He found this whole embarrassment thing of Shawn's was just getting funnier by the minute. "And what would that be?"

Shawn looked up, staring right into Lassiter's gorgeous blue eyes. Even though his cheeks were ablaze, he said, "You."

The grin Lassiter was sporting on his face disappeared. His tone now serious, he asked, "Why would you have me and only me on your mind?"

"Well… I…" As Shawn stumbled to find the right words, Lassiter was reeling. _This isn't possible. He couldn't have feelings… for me? Could he? No. It has to do with me bothering him or something, making him angry._ Lassiter thought. _Yeah… That's it…_

Meanwhile, Shawn was panicking. _I put myself in a bad situation here. I can't tell Lassie! He'd have a heterosexual freak out on me! No… Make something up. Anything! Goddammit Shawn! Come up with something!_

But Shawn was drawing a blank. He had nothing. He sighed, resigning himself to defeat. "Lassie…" He began. "I have something I want to tell you…" At this moment, Shawn was thinking that telling gypsy secrets sounded better than what he was about to say.

Then, right on cue, the waitress came up with their food. Oh thank the Fates! Shawn thought happily. I'm saved!

The waitress laid their food down and gave a happy farewell. The two men sat in silence for a while until Lassiter decided to ask Shawn the question that was nagging him. "Shawn?"

"Hmm?" He asked with a mouthful of potatoes.

"Why are you so afraid of having so much power?"

Shawn swallowed his potatoes and began to bite his bottom lip again. "I can't tell you."

Lassiter frowned. "Why not? Is it another gypsy secret?"

"No," Shawn said sternly. "It's mine."

Lassiter was shocked. This side of Shawn he was seeing today was completely different from the Shawn he knew. _He never ceases to amaze me._ Lassiter thought. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Shawn smiled. "Nah. It's cool!"

_There he goes._ Lassiter thought. _Putting up a shield. _ "So," Lassiter said. "How are you handling the whole Marshall thing?"

Shawn smiled, this time it was genuine. "Actually, pretty well. I know the creep is behind bars and the whole incident is over and done with."

Lassiter winced. He didn't want to have to tell Shawn this, but he figured now was the only time to do it. "Actually… There's something that we found out today. Something that Marshall told us."

Shawn leaned forward. "What? Is it bad?"

Lassiter sighed. "Yeah. It's bad. He said that there's more of him."

Shawn tilted his head to the side. "Like clones?" He laughed. "Dude! Star Wars! All we need are some Jedi forces and we've got this in the bank! Do you think I could be Luke? For some weird reason I thought he was adorable!" Shawn stopped, realized what he said, and corrected himself by saying, "You know, in a manly sort of way…"

Lassiter was too caught up in what he was about to say to realize what Shawn had been saying, and the younger man was grateful. "No, Shawn. Not Star Wars. More like…" Lassiter paused, thinking of a reference Shawn might understand. "More like Star Trek. Remember the movie with the Borg? Where it was Earth versus the Borg?"

"The one where they went back in time?"

"Yeah. Well, it'll be like that, only Earth is the gypsies and the Borg is the renegade group that's apparently formed right under our noses."

Shawn's faced lighted in realization. "You mean… They're out to kill us."

Lassiter's thoughtful expression turned more empathetic. "Yeah. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I will try my hardest to get all of these ingrates turned in."

Shawn smiled weakly. "I'd rather have heard it from you than anyone else." At the questioning look on Lassiter's face, Shawn explained, "You always tell it how it is. You don't mince words and I'm grateful for that."

Lassiter nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

"So," Shawn drawled. "Do you want to come with me to meet my mentor?"

Lassiter sighed. "I can't. I have work, remember?"

"Oh, come on dude! You need to take a day off or something! Call in sick! Fake an injury! Say you got abducted by the aliens from Mars Attacks! Anything!"

"There are three things that are wrong with that statement. One, don't call me 'dude'. It's debilitating. Two, Mars Attacks was a horrible movie. I would never allow myself to be abducted by a horrible excuse for an alien. Three, crime doesn't stop. I refuse to take a day off to go on a little adventure to meet somebody who probably only asks about me because she's a crazed stalker."

Shawn nodded in agreement as he took his spoon out of his mouth. "Okay, I agree on the crazed part. She seems a little loopy to me sometimes. But a stalker? No. No way. She doesn't even have the time for that."

"How would you know how much time she has?"

Shawn smirked. "Hello? I'm her student, remember? I have to follow her around and get her coffee and stuff."

Lassiter furrowed his brow in confusion. "Coffee? Really? So… what? You're like an intern at Universal Studios?"

Shawn laughed. "Lassie made a joke? Has the world come to an end?" Shawn laughed some more. Lassiter decided he liked the sound of it. It was good to hear him laughing at something he said. It made the older man a little more confident in himself, even if it was a bit at his expense. After Shawn calmed down a bit, he said with a slight grin on his face, "In all seriousness, Lassie. I'm not her coffee chauffer. I really do learn things from her."

"Like what?"

"Like…" Shawn trailed off a bit, wondering what to say without confusing Lassiter. "Things like what it means to be a gypsy. She's taught me about pride and self-confidence. She's taught me how to control my abilities and what to watch out for. Things like that."

"What does it mean to be a gypsy?" Lassiter asked. He was really curious. The truth of the matter was that he was interested in the gypsies. No outsider was allowed to know anything about the culture but the thing that really peaked his interest about gypsies was the fact that Shawn was one of them. He liked Shawn (a little more than he should, he'll admit) ergo, he should know more about his culture.

Shawn's face brightened. "You really want to know?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Shawn winced. "Well, most people only ask about the abilities. I've gotten lots of questions about that… Just… No one's actually cared enough to ask about the other stuff." Shawn paused and chewed on his bottom lip. _Can I tell him that? Will they get mad?_

"What's wrong?" Lassiter asked, noticing the worried look on Shawn's face.

Shawn looked up, not realizing he was being stared at expectantly. "Uh… It's just that I don't know if I should tell you." He looked away, hating the fact this all had to be a secret. "You know the law. I can't really tell you anything about the gypsies unless…"

"Unless what?"

"I can't tell you that either." Shawn huffed in frustration. "I don't even know why I invited you to come see Hera. They would get mad if I brought an outsider…"

Lassiter sighed. "Spencer, you don't have to tell me anything. I don't want you to get into trouble with your government or whatever it is that makes your laws."

Shawn smiled. "Thanks Lassie." There was a small silence that followed as Shawn was deep in thought. When he spoke again, it was of determination. "You know, you may not be able to go see Hera, but I can bring her to my place. I can reschedule it for tomorrow night."

"Doesn't she have other students?"

Shawn laughed. "No. She doesn't. No one can put up with her for as long as I have."

Lassiter snorted. "You're probably a lot alike then. Both too damn eccentric to have a care in the world."

Shawn smiled distantly. "Yeah. Something like that." A pause, then, "So? Do you want to?"

Lassiter thought about that. On one hand, he had a lot of paperwork to get done. On the other hand, he would get to spend time with Shawn. "I don't see a problem with that." He said without hesitation.

Shawn smiled brightly. "Yay! Group day!" He clapped.

Lassiter nodded. "Don't get too cheery, Spencer. Something might come up."

Shawn nodded vigorously. "Yeah. I know. I understand the whole cop thing. My dad was a cop, remember?"

"Yes. I know." Lassiter thought about that for a moment. Shawn's father seemed to have no relations with the gypsy people. "Spencer?"

"Hmm?" The younger man said with a mouthful of peas.

"Are you a full-blooded gypsy?"

Shawn, who was not sure where this was going, swallowed his peas and answered, "Yeah. Why does it matter?"

"Because Henry's not a gypsy."

Shawn's eyes widened in fear. _What is he afraid of?_ Lassiter wondered. "And I'm pretty sure your mom is only half."

Shawn averted his gaze. "Well, maybe our genes are different from normal people's. Maybe we receive genes randomly and I got the full-blooded part from my mom."

Lassiter furrowed his brow. "But that's not even possible!"

Shawn smiled. "You overthink things too much, Lassie. Don't worry about it."

Lassiter mentally glared at Shawn. He was going to get to the bottom of this. His detective side was coming out, and they didn't name him the youngest Head Detective in SBPD history for nothing.

The rest of the night was spent discussing trivial matters, such as the Olympics and sports in general. Shawn admitted he really didn't like watching sports because for some awful reason he would get visions of the winning team of the games and the rest of the sports game would be ruined. Lassiter just laughed, saying that maybe Shawn's visions weren't as great as they were made out to be.

Lassiter drove Shawn home. As they pulled up to his apartment, Shawn sighed heavily. Lassiter turned towards Shawn, asking, "What's wrong?"

"I just…" Shawn stopped, trying to find the right words to say. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Lassiter asked.

"I'm sorry I have to be so vague with everything. I feel like I'm a complete asshole, but if I told you…" Shawn shivered at the thought of what could happen.

Then, just out of nowhere, Shawn laughed. "What is it?" Lassiter asked.

"Did you know that there is a way I could tell you all of this? I never really thought about it until now." Shawn laughed some more. "Not that it could ever happen, but still."

Lassiter crossed his arms. "And what might this miracle be?"

"Well, we'd have to be dating."

Suddenly, the air in the car thickened. The two men stared at each other for some time, both hoping that the other would do something. Finally, Shawn laughed nervously. "Of course, if it were even possible, I'd have to get approval from the higher ups to even tell you anything, and that takes a lot of time…"

_What makes you think we couldn't date?_ Lassiter wanted to say. He kept telling himself, _say it! Say it!_ But he just couldn't find the courage to do so. _So, after everything that's happened today, you're just going to let him go?_

When Shawn got out of the car after saying his awkward goodbye with Lassiter watching him walk up the stairs and into his apartment, he finally answered his own question. Lassiter sighed. _You can face death every day, bring down criminals like no other, but you can't seem to ask somebody out on a date? How pathetic are you?_

It was times like this that Lassiter wished he held some of Shawn's carefree behavior. As he drove to his own home he couldn't help but think of all the ways tonight could've been different.


	2. Revelations

**So, yeah... My chapters are really long... I don't know why they turn out this way. I guess it's because I can't figure out where to end a chapter! If you want I can change it but I don't know if that will happen. Maybe somebody can help me end my chapters? Maybe? Also, for those of you who may not have noticed, this is an M-rated story. It has naughtiness in it! Okay, back to the story!**

* * *

Shawn woke up the next day feeling like complete shit. He hadn't really slept that night either so it didn't make much of a difference whether he felt like shit for being really tired or for the fact that he couldn't sleep because he felt stupid for not doing _something_ when he told Lassiter about the whole dating thing. It would've made Shawn feel a sense of relief, whether Lassiter pushed Shawn away or not. _At least then I would know for sure._ Shawn thought as he rubbed his eyes for the thousandth time that day. He was drinking a second cup of coffee when his cell phone rang.

"What?" Shawn said, silently cursing at himself for his irritability.

It was Chief Vick. "Mr. Spencer, we need you down at the station."

"Whatever for, my good woman?"

"Just come down here. I'll discuss it with you when you get here."

"Alrighty then." Shawn confirmed. After that, the Chief just hung up. "Wow," Shawn said, pulling the phone away from his ear. "She's a ball of fun today, isn't she?"

He sighed, getting up from where he was sitting and went to his closet to find some clothes to wear. He decided on a pair of loose-fitting dark jeans and a red and white plaid shirt with some tennis shoes to match. He hopped in the shower quickly and then got dressed. He didn't know why he was in a hurry. Something was just telling him he had to make it to the station as soon as possible and his instincts were never wrong.

When Shawn walked up the stairs to the entrance of the SBPD, a sense of overwhelming apprehension came over him. He debated on just going home and ignoring the Chief's phone call. He could say he suddenly came down with something. All he knew was that he really didn't want to go in there.

Then he remembered something. His instincts at the apartment had told him to get to the station as quickly as possible, else he miss something important.

_Come on, Shawn,_ he silently willed himself. _Just open the door._

But he was frozen, torn between listening to his instincts and his irrational panic. He stood there for some time until someone tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and yelp in surprise.

"Spencer?" A familiar voice called. "Are you alright? You seem a little… on edge."

"Yeah, I'll be fine…" Shawn answered.

Lassiter opened the other door and started to walk in, but Shawn stopped him by grabbing his arm in an almost painful grip. "Spencer, I don't have time for…"

Lassiter trailed off, noticing the look of sheer terror in the younger man's hazel eyes.

"Don't go in there." It was barely a whisper, but Lassiter heard it nonetheless. "Don't make me go in there."

"Spencer?"

"I-I should've known it was him." Shawn was shaking now. "I should've known…"

As much as Lassiter wanted to pull the other man away from his fear and into his arms, he resisted. "Spencer, you're acting crazy. Come inside and clear your head."

"No!" Shawn shouted, causing other officers to turn their heads. "Please, please don't make me!"

"Spencer, calm down. What is there to be afraid of?"

Shawn stopped at that. Lassiter was right. The man wouldn't do anything to him in public, let alone a police station, would he? _Just to be safe…_

Shawn took a calming breath. "Lassie?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't make me go to the Chief's office alone. Come with me."

At the look in Shawn's eyes, that desperately pleading look, Lassiter couldn't find it in himself to say no. _Whoever is in there to cause him so much fear…_ Lassiter let the threat linger in his mind.

Shawn and Lassiter walked into the police station and to the Chief's office, though Shawn was walking rather close to Lassiter's back. The older man ignored the strange looks they were receiving, only thinking of reducing the trembles of fear that Lassiter could feel resonating off the psychic. If that meant getting a few stares from the cops in the station then so be it.

"Mr. Spencer," the Chief began. "Please tell this delusional man to get out of my office."

Lassiter was confused. The man in question stood up from the chair he was sitting in and turned to face Lassiter, causing Shawn to cower in fear behind him. Lassiter, out of instinct, reached his hand around and pulled Shawn closer to him. This seemed to comfort the younger man immensely. "Who are you?" Lassiter asked in as polite a tone as he could muster.

The man held out his hand, though Lassiter didn't take it. The man dropped his arm, smirking defiantly. "My name is Luke Ferrell. I've come here to speak with Shawn."

"What's your relation?"

"If you're asking Shawn how I know him, then all I can say is we go way back. However, I'm sure Shawn here would love to tell you the details." The man smirked at Shawn knowingly.

Shawn mumbled something incoherent, so Lassiter turned to Shawn, asking, "What?"

"Tell him to go away."

It was a plea that only Lassiter heard. This caused something to click inside Lassiter's mind that he would later wonder why he reacted the way he did, but it happened. Lassiter grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and practically dragged him out of the station. Everyone quickly got out of the way when they saw Lassiter towing the man towards the front doors. They knew never to mess with Lassiter if he was truly angry. It wasn't very often that Lassiter got like this. Yes, he snapped at people, but he never let his anger get out of control as it was right now.

When he got outside, he pulled the man close to his face, letting him see the anger in his eyes. In a very threatening tone that would make even Henry Spencer jealous, Lassiter said, "Don't you ever bother Shawn Spencer again. I don't even want to hear that you've breathed in the same direction as him. If I find out that you went anywhere near him, I will come to you personally." He paused. "And I never miss a shot unintentionally. Do I make myself clear? Good." He then pushed Luke Ferrell away from him, not caring that he pushed him down several steps, and walked back into the station without a second glance behind him.

Meanwhile, Shawn and the Chief were in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, however, when the Chief couldn't stand looking at Shawn with his hands wrapped around his waist defensively, she spoke. "Mr. Spencer, that man – Luke – made some pretty serious claims. Was he telling the truth?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Shawn said simply.

"Mr. Spencer, if you know this man"-

"Chief?" Shawn interrupted. "Please, can we drop it?"

Chief Vick crossed her arms. "Shawn, if this man is out to hurt you our department can help you."

Shawn gave her a dark look that rivaled Lassiter's. "Chief, as much as I would love to stand here and beg you to drop it, I'm running low on time today. Now I'm demanding it. Drop it."

The Chief blinked. Whether this man was telling the truth or not, he had a history with Shawn and, from the looks of it, it probably wasn't good. But, she dropped the topic anyways, knowing that it would all come out in due time. "Okay, Shawn. I'm sorry."

Just then, Lassiter walked back into the office. Shawn turned to him. "Lassie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Lassiter was astounded. When, in all the years since he'd known the psychic, had he ever been thanked by him? _Probably never._ Lassiter thought. As he watched Shawn walk silently out of the room he wondered just what the relation between that man and Shawn was.

"Chief?" Lassiter called.

"Yes, Detective?"

"You're not at liberty to disclose what that man said to you about Spencer, are you?"

"Privacy Acts. Gotta love 'em."

Lassiter paused, choosing his next words carefully. "What if I didn't ask you as Chief Vick, my boss? What if I asked you as Karen, my friend?"

Without missing a beat, she said, "As your friend, I would tell you it's not my place to tell you Shawn's business and that you should get the information from the source, not from someone who heard it from the grapevine."

Lassiter sighed. "You're right." He nodded. "I'll be getting back to work now, if you don't mind."

Not at all, Detective."

When Lassiter walked back to his desk, he saw Shawn sitting in his chair, staring at nothing in particular. He stood there, not wanting to jar the man from his thoughts.

Shawn's face was scrunched as if he was deep in some inner conflict. He kept biting his lower lip, a nervous habit Lassiter noticed Shawn had picked up recently. He was messing with his hands, something the detective had come to understand as Shawn's attempt at distracting himself from something serious.

Finally, Shawn looked up at Lassiter, noticing his expectant posture. He jumped up quickly, muttering a soft, "Sorry, Lassie."

Before Shawn could leave, however, Lassiter pulled him back. "What?" Shawn queried.

"Come with me." The detective ordered.

Shawn knew he should pull away. He knew that if he told Lassiter everything it might put the older man in danger, but he didn't do anything. He just let Lassiter pull him into an interrogation room, not caring about the consequences.

The first question came as soon as Lassiter locked the door. "Who was that man, Spencer?"

Shawn gave Lassiter a half-hearted glare. "You know I can't tell you that, right?"

"Oh, come off it, Spencer. You could be in danger."

"What makes you think Luke is going to hurt me?" Shawn said defensively.

Lassiter rolled his eyes. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you were cowering and shaking when you saw him?" Lassiter took a calming breath. He didn't want to sound angry. He didn't want to scare Shawn away or make him become deflective.

Shawn truly wanted to tell Lassiter who Luke was. He wanted to tell Lassiter everything but the Gypsy Council would find out for sure. He knew he had to tell him something, but how?

Just then, an idea popped in his head. Acting quickly, Shawn asked, "Do you have a piece of paper and a pen, Lassie?"

Lassiter narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Do you trust me?"

Lassiter paused, looking for any reason to doubt Shawn's sincerity. Finding nothing, he gave Shawn his notepad and one of his pens. Shawn then proceeded to write down a date and a newspaper title. Upon handing the note to Lassiter, he said, "If anyone asks, I dropped that paper unknowingly and you picked it up."

Lassiter looked at Shawn. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Shawn smirked. "C'mon, Lassie! You're the best detective I know. Detect!"

Lassiter felt his pride swell at Shawn's compliment. He walked over to the door, unlocked it, and held the door open for Shawn.

Shawn smiled. "Such a gentleman!" He teased.

Lassiter rolled his eyes as he pocketed the note.

"Lassie?"

"Hmm?"

"When you find out everything, don't tell anyone, okay? There are only a few people who know and I'd like to keep it that way."

Lassiter nodded. He was happy that Shawn trusted him, but at the same time he was scared, scared of what he would find. "Spencer?" Lassiter called. When Shawn turned to face him, he asked. "We're still meeting Hera tonight, correct?"

Shawn scrunched his face in thought. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

Lassiter looked away. "Um, because… I…" He was at a loss for words.

Shawn, however knew exactly what he wanted to say. "I'm looking forward to it too."

The head detective smiled at the psychic, which made the psychic's heart leap. "Well…" Lassiter said.

"I gotta go do… something. I'll see you later?"

Lassiter nodded. "See you, Spencer."

The detective watched Shawn walk away. As he did, he couldn't help but look at the younger man's ass. Blushing when he realized what he was doing, he turned toward his desk and pulled out the note to begin his search.

Meanwhile, Shawn was walking out of the building when he got a call. "Hello? Shawn Spencer." He greeted.

"Shawn, how forgetful are you?" Gus greeted in return.

"Well, I'd like to think I'm pretty good at remembering things, unless you count Spanish verbs. They are impossible to remember…"

"Shawn!"

"Okay, I'll bite. What did I forget?"

Gus sighed. "I set you up that doctor's appointment, remember?"

Shawn's eyes widened in realization. "Right! I'll be right there!"

"You'd better…" Gus said and hung up.

Shawn shrugged. _Is everyone mad today?_ He wondered. To his surprise, out of all the people he'd seen today, Lassiter was the only one who wasn't snappy with him. He laughed. "What is the world coming to?" He said to himself. He then got on his motorcycle, put on his helmet, and drove to the dreaded doctor appointment, thinking, I'll prove you wrong yet, Gus.

Back in the police station, Lassiter was still on the computer. He felt like he'd read the article at least a thousand times. He could practically recite it word for word, starting with the headline:

MAN SUSPECTED OF KILLING WIFE

A woman was found dead in her home yesterday, multiple cuts scarring her body and a final gash to her throat. The woman in question, Elizabeth Ferrell, was mother and wife to Shawn Ferrell and Luke Ferrell, respectively. The father, Luke, is currently the prime suspect in police investigations. Shawn, the son, is residing with Luke's sister and her husband, Madeline and Henry Spencer. Shawn was also found with multiple bruises and cuts, most likely from abuse.

Lassiter leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his dark hair. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he stood up, not forgetting to close the window and delete his history. He grabbed his jacket, not caring to clean up the mess of papers on his desk, and left. Everyone was staring at him as he walked out, but no one, not even the Chief, would dare cross Lassiter with that look in his eyes.

Lassiter got into his car, driving to the one place he knew he had to be. If he wanted answers, he would go to the one person who could give them to him.

Once at the residence, he knocked, albeit impatiently, on the front door. The man who answered it looked surprised to see the detective, but greeted him all the same. "Hello, Carlton. What brings you here?"

"Hello, Henry. Can I come in?"

Henry nodded. There was something… off about Lassiter that he couldn't quite place and if the detective came to him of all people then it must be pretty serious. Stepping aside, he granted the head detective access to his home, which Lassiter accepted. "So," Henry began. "What's the matter?" Noting the serious look on Lassiter's face, his heart sped up painfully in his chest. He could only think of one reason Lassiter would come with that look. "What happened to my son?"

Lassiter looked at Henry, confusion written all over his face. "What? Nothing. He's fine. I just saw him a few hours ago."

Henry sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that, Carlton."

"Sorry…" He said. "I'm just here to ask a few questions."

Henry crossed his arms defensively. "Who are you here as?" He asked.

To most people that question would sound insane and unnecessary, but to a former cop and a current detective, it was a completely valid query. "I'm just here as Carlton, not Head Detective." He answered.

Henry eased his stance. "Okay, Carlton. Ask away."

Lassiter began to speak only after he had chosen the right words. If the Spencers had hidden this for so long then the subject was touchy subject, to put it lightly. He had to tread carefully. "Henry, do you know a man named Luke Ferrell?"

Henry noticeably stiffened. "Yes? Why?"

"He came to the station today asking for your son."

The elder Spencer's gaze hardened. "You didn't let Shawn see him, did you?"

"I did," Lassiter said. When Henry was about to yell, the detective held his hand up. "But I threw the man out of the station at the distress he was causing Spen- Shawn."

Henry lessened his glare. "Thank you."

Lassiter nodded. "Shawn told me some things about him."

Henry's eyes widened. "He did?"

"Well, not directly. He gave me a note." Lassiter then began to tell Henry everything he'd found out in the past few hours.

Henry and Lassiter, during the discussion had made their way to the couch and sat down. Once Lassiter was finished with his explanation, Henry rubbed his eyes before saying, "I knew he would come back. I knew he wouldn't leave Shawn alone…"

"So it's true." Lassiter said, more to confirm it for himself than for Henry.

"Carlton, you can't tell anyone what you've found out. There are a very select few who know this information."

"Why?" Lassiter asked. "Why keep it a secret?"

"Simple." Henry said. "It's only meant for gypsy ears. If a person like you, who found out this information because of Shawn being careless, were found out, Shawn would be in some deep shit."

"How did you keep it a secret? Everyone at the station knows nothing. How did you keep it from everyone?"

"Well," Henry started. "First off, the only cops who knew about the situation are either dead or retired. They knew I was adopting Shawn, but they really didn't know the details. The only ones who did were my partner, the Chief, and myself."

"I'm confused. Start from the beginning."

"Okay, well, Luke, as you know, is Shawn's biological father. Shawn's mother, Elizabeth, used to bring Shawn over here a lot because there was a kid his age that Shawn had made friends with."

"Guster." Lassiter said.

"Yeah. Well, to put a family tree in your head, Luke is Maddie's – my ex-wife's – brother. You can connect the rest. Anyways, Shawn would come over so much that everyone assumed he was mine. After Elizabeth was killed, I guess I just took the role permanently.

"But you're wondering how nobody at the station knows. It's because everyone in the SBPD is relatively new. Even the Chief is new. They know nothing of the case."

Lassiter was still confused. "Wait… Luke was their lead suspect. How did he get away with it?"

Henry looked angry. "Because the case was transferred to the gypsies and, at the time, the Council that ran the community was corrupt. Luke Ferrell was not a poor man, either."

"So he bought them out." Lassiter said. "But how did you get custody of Shawn?"

"After the trial, Luke just disappeared. When he didn't show up to sign the papers I automatically got him."

Lassiter nodded. "So let me get this straight. Everyone at the station doesn't know because they weren't involved in the case, and those who do know the details are either dead, not talking, or willing to keep it a secret. The only people who know that Luke is his father are Guster, you, Shawn, your ex-wife, your partner, your old chief, and me. Am I correct?"

"Not entirely. My partner was killed and the chief passed away a couple years back."

Lassiter nodded. "Okay."

Silence.

"How old was he?"

"Fourteen."

Lassiter winced. Shawn lost everything at such a young age. "Did he see anything?"

Henry looked Lassiter dead in the eyes. "Do you ever wonder why Shawn is never sick around dead bodies?"

\ Lassiter nodded. "How much did he see?"

"Shawn was the one who called me to say his mother was dead. He said he walked home from school and found her in the living room." Henry closed his eyes, holding back tears. "You have no idea what he was like when we found him. Shawn was curled up in a ball, covered in Elizabeth's blood. He was unresponsive for months…

"Over the years Shawn became more talkative, but he also became reckless and suicidal. He never wore a helmet on that death trap known as his motorcycle. He also did things that caused him to end up in the hospital. I remember I almost lost him the summer between his Sophomore and Junior year when he thought it would be fun to go cliff diving.

"He hid his feelings behind a smile and childish behavior. His therapist said he acted that way because if he stayed a child, he would never have to confront his feelings like an adult. He's also never been able to keep a steady relationship. His whole life has consisted of one night stands and flings lasting a max of two days.

"His visions were limited to visions of the past. He always saw his nightmare over and over again."

"What was that?" Lassiter asked, though he knew the answer.

"Shawn knows who killed his mother not because he physically saw it, but because he's had repeated visions of his father killing her.

"The visions killed him on the inside. These visions, his therapist said, were the core of Shawn's problems. A few months before Shawn started Psych I pulled him off the roof of a four story hotel before he jumped. I honestly thought I'd have to put him in a hospital just to keep him from killing himself.

"But then… Something changed in Shawn. He stopped running away. He stopped skipping town whenever he got too scared or too attached to something. He actually stopped attempting suicide. It was the first time since he was fourteen that I saw him smile like he meant it. I can remember the day perfectly. He came to me practically jumping up and down saying he'd met the most peculiar person."

Lassiter curiosity was peaked. "Who?"

"I remember the day perfectly. It was the day he went to the station to report the robbery or whatever it was. He came to the house saying that he was arrested. I couldn't help but wonder why he was happy about that, but he ignored me, saying that he'd met somebody that made him feel normal. I don't know what he meant by that, but I didn't bother asking. My son was happy and I wasn't arguing with that.

"I then asked him who the person was. Can you guess who that person was?"

Lassiter thought about that for some time. "I don't know, O'Hara." He guessed.

"No, Carlton. It was you." At Lassiter's surprise, Henry said, "I don't know what you said to him that day, but he started acting human again. I used to think that the only reason he stayed around was because of you.

"When he got shot and kidnapped, instead of letting death consume him like he normally would, he kept going. He kept on striving for life. When we found him and rescued him, I couldn't help but notice something that confirmed my suspicions. He stared at you, silently hoping you'd approve of him. When you told him exactly what he was hoping for, I could tell his spirit soared.

"I don't know why, but he's been attached to you ever since. He talks about you whenever he comes over with this light in his eyes that I had never seen since the kid was in diapers. I think I can honestly say you saved my son's life and I can't thank you enough."

Lassiter's hands were shaking. How could Shawn be attached to him of all people? He had to know. He had to find out.

"Carlton?" Henry started. "What are you going to do now that you know everything?"

Without missing a beat, he said, "I have to see him. I have to talk to him."

Henry nodded. "You know he'll try to make a joke to deter the conversation."

Lassiter pondered this. "You know, I don't think he will. He'll want to, but he won't."

Henry just nodded. The two men got up and walked to the door. "I'll see you around, Carlton."

"You too, Henry."

Lassiter drove to Shawn's in silence. Not even his own thoughts were going. He just drove. Once he arrived at Shawn's place, he walked up the two flights of stairs to his apartment and knocked.

"Door's unlocked!" Shawn shouted. Lassiter took that as his invitation.

He stepped in and, for once, the place was clean. Shawn was currently in the kitchen scrubbing the countertops. He had changed from this morning's outfit to clothes fit for cleaning. He was now wearing a white, form-fitting tank top and a pair of black basketball shorts. Lassiter watched in awe as Shawn's muscles in his arms and back flexed and relaxed as he scrubbed. He stared as Shawn tapped his foot to the music playing somewhere in the apartment. Looking at the psychic right now made him doubt whether Henry was telling the truth about Shawn's past but, as he studied Shawn further he could make out the small scars all over his body. How did I not notice it before? Lassiter wondered.

It's because he was able to hide it under a façade of exuberance. Even you thought he was alright. You never thought to see the signs because he didn't act like it, even when no one was looking. Lassiter mentally hated himself at that moment.

Lassiter was pulled out of his thoughts when Shawn started talking after grabbing a dirty plate from the sink to wash it. "Don't worry, Gus. My appointment went great. I don't know why you even stopped by. Didn't I text you just a minute ago that Lassie"-

Shawn turned around and yelped in surprise, dropping the plate when he noticed it was not Gus, but Lassiter standing in his living room. The plate shattered into pieces at Shawn's feet.

"Spencer?" Lassiter called as he ran over to see if any shards of broken glass had lodged themselves into Shawn's feet. When he noticed nothing, he couldn't help but start laughing.

"What?" Shawn asked.

"Your face!" He said between laughs. "Priceless!"

"Hey!" Shawn said, hitting Lassiter aside the head with his wash rag. "It's not funny! You scared me."

Lassiter, still smiling, said, "Sorry Spencer. I didn't mean to."

Shawn smiled back at Lassiter. Smiles truly were infectious. Shawn went to step over the glass shards, but Lassiter stopped him. At his questioning gaze, Lassiter simply said, "I know you. You'll step on something. I'm sure of it."

At that he stepped over the glass, standing alarmingly close to Shawn. Lassiter's next move made Shawn yelp. The older man picked Shawn up bridal style in such a swift movement that Shawn had to grip Lassiter's shirt and neck to hold on. "Lassie!" Shawn laughed. "Put me down!"

"Why?" Lassiter asked, a playful smirk tugging on his lips. "With the way you hang over me at the station I thought you'd rather enjoy this."

Shawn laughs filled the detective's ears with a sweet sound. "I don't get married without a meaningful date!" He joked. "What if you're a madman?"

Lassiter pretended to be thoughtful of this. "How am I a madman?"

Through his laughs, Shawn explained his thought process. "What if you're a cop by day, but a crazy mass murderer by night? Well, that can't be right… You stay after too much for paperwork… So… Maybe not a mass murderer…"

"You see? Not a mass murderer." Lassiter laughed.

"Mass murderer or not, put me down!" He ordered, still smiling. Lassiter obliged, setting the smaller man on his feet. Once on the floor, Shawn went over to grab the broom, but Lassiter took it from him. "I'll do it."

Shawn stared at Lassiter. "You know, Lassie. I am capable of cleaning my own apartment."

Lassiter snorted. "Of course! Says the man who let his laundry pile up for three weeks as well as his dishes a couple weeks ago."

Shawn held up his finger. "Hey. In my defense that case was driving me crazy. That guy wouldn't show up anywhere and he cleaned up everything so I couldn't get a clear read on him."

"Is that why you were getting snippy with the Chief?"

Shawn scratched his head sheepishly. "Was I that bad?" He asked.

"Yeah." Lassiter said while beginning to sweep the shattered remains of the plate. "You kind of were."

Shawn looked down at his feet. "Sorry… I should probably apologize to her."

"I'm sure she's forgiven you. After all, you did catch him."

Shawn laughed. "Only because he slipped up! He touched that napkin and miraculously left his aura residue and I got a vision."

Lassiter smirked while gathering the rest of the plate on the dust pan and throwing it in the trash. "Are you sure that it wasn't you that slipped up?"

The detective laughed when Shawn blushed. "Just because I tripped doesn't mean anything! At least I caught the guy…" He muttered.

"Yeah." Lassiter agreed.

"So," Shawn started. "Did you take an early day? It's only about four. You don't have to be her till nine."

Lassiter's expression turned serious. "That's not what I came here for."

Shawn's eyes widened, his body going rigid. "Oh. That."

Lassiter nodded. "I talked to your father." Shawn stared at the floor, his weight shifting from foot to foot. "He told me everything."

Lassiter stared at Shawn, hoping the psychic would feel it and look at him, but he didn't. They stood there a while, the only noise in the room being the cheerful music playing in the background. Still not looking at the older man, Shawn grabbed the remote off the living room table and pressed a button, silencing the upbeat tune. He then gathered his courage and faced Lassiter. Sighing, he asked, "If you know everything, why are you here?"

Lassiter furrowed his brow. Why was he here? At Henry's he was so sure of himself in the fact that he needed to be here, but for what? "Honestly, Spencer? I don't know. I drove here with nothing on my mind. All I know is that I'm supposed to be here because when I think about leaving, my whole body is telling me no.

"I don't think I came here to comfort you; I'm no good at that. Maybe I originally came here to tell you that nothing will change between us, but that would be a lie."

"How so?" Shawn asked.

"Well, for one, when two people share a secret as big as this, a form of mutual understanding tends to bond the two." Lassiter blushed at his statement, but carried on anyways. "I didn't come here to lie to you, so maybe I came to tell you the truth."

Shawn started to chew on his bottom lip. With a quivering voice, he said, "So you only came to tell me that we'll never be the same. If that's all, you can leave."

Lassiter walked over to Shawn, not sure exactly why. He was just following his instincts. He grabbed Shawn's hand, turning it over to reveal his wrists.

And the scars.

Shawn watched in uncertainty as Lassiter ran a tender tracing finger along the scars. Lassiter saw the insecurity flash across Shawn's face as he looked down into the psychic's hazel eyes. _ Eyes truly are the doorway into the soul._ Lassiter thought. "Shawn…"

"Lassie, you can leave. You shouldn't even be bothering with me. I'm just…"

"What, Shawn? You're what?"

It couldn't even be considered a whisper. How Lassiter heard it he'll never know. "I'm broken."

Suddenly, Lassiter realized why he was here. Everything he'd said was true. It had just come out wrong. "Shawn, I didn't come here to comfort you. I came here to give you someone to talk to, lean on. I didn't come here to lie to you, I came here to tell you the truth. I wasn't kidding when I said things would change." Lassiter took a breath. It was as if the right words were coming out of their own accord. Lassiter reached up and brought Shawn's teary gaze to his steady one. He gently cupped Shawn's cheeks, softly wiping the tears away each time they fell. "But the funny thing about change is that it's not always a bad thing." Shawn felt Lassiter reach a hand down to grab one of his wrists, bringing it up to his lips as he gently kissed the scarred flesh. "Shawn, you may be broken, but please. I'm begging you. Let me be the one that pieces you back together."

Lassiter then leaned down and pressed his lips to Shawn's quivering ones.

The younger man froze in surprise, but quickly came to. He wrapped his arms around Lassiter's neck and kissed back just as tenderly.

The kiss was tentative at first, as if they were both deciding whether this was real or just a dream. However, as the kiss grew more heated, the two realized that this had to be real because no dream had made them feel this good.

Lassiter's hands quickly fell to Shawn's waist, pulling the man flush against him. Shawn tugged at Lassiter's hair in his desperate attempt to map every part of the detective. Eventually, the older man had pushed Shawn against the wall, making the younger man gasp. Lassiter took this as his invitation to explore the man he had pinned to the wall's mouth with his tongue.

Lassiter's mind was reeling. Shawn's mouth tasted like nothing he'd ever experienced. He tasted of pineapples and chocolate and something completely unique to Lassiter that could only be described as 'Shawn'.

The younger man moaned as his tongue danced with Lassiter's. He briefly wondered if he should fight Lassiter for dominance of the situation, but decided against it. He always topped because it made him feel safe, in control. However, with Lassiter, something was different. Lassiter made him feel different. He was actually relishing in the idea of giving Lassiter his trust instead of the other way around.

Somehow the two men found their way into Shawn's bedroom. Lassiter kicked the door closed behind him, never once releasing Shawn's mouth from his assault. The two fell on the bed, Shawn under Lassiter and completely at the older man's mercy.

"Carlton…" Shawn moaned when Lassiter began leaving a trail of kisses and nips and bites down his neck.

Upon hearing his name moaned by the man beneath him, Lassiter let out a throaty growl, biting down hard on the flesh where Shawn's neck met his shoulder. Shawn arched his body, causing their clothed erections to ghost past each other. This made the psychic gasp, his silent plea for more friction.

Lassiter groaned at the touch, not just from the pleasure but from the realization that both of them had too many clothes on. Shawn somehow got the message and began to unbutton the detective's shirt after loosening his tie.

Meanwhile, Lassiter became busy with pushing his hands under Shawn's tank, feeling the smooth yet firm skin on his bare fingertips and leaving a heated trail on Shawn's stomach, making him gasp. By some miracle they were both shirtless, desperately trying to gain as much skin on skin contact as they could. Deciding it wasn't enough, they removed all articles of clothing, leaving themselves completely naked.

"Shawn?" Lassiter breathed against Shawn's lips.

"In the – ah! – drawer."

Lassiter reached in and pulled out the bottle of lube. He was desperate to be inside Shawn, but he wanted the man to enjoy this as well. Lassiter coated his fingers and pressed his index into Shawn, carefully watching his reaction. He inserted another finger, feeling Shawn's tight hole clench around his fingers. "Relax." Lassiter said.

Shawn obliged as best he could, but with the way Lassiter kept scissoring his fingers he was going to go insane. He didn't know whether to feel pain or pleasure. However, when the detective inserted a third digit into Shawn the psychic forgot all about the pain as he screamed in pleasure. Lassiter smirked. He'd found Shawn's prostate.

As he stretched Shawn, Lassiter used his free hand to stroke Shawn's erection, causing the younger man to gasp and start impaling himself on Lassiter's fingers. When the detective deemed Shawn prepared, he pulled his fingers out of Shawn, receiving a whimper from the man beneath him. The detective poured a generous amount of lube on his throbbing erection, hissing at how cold it was. He lined himself up against Shawn's entrance, but before he pushed in he asked, "Shawn?"

"Fuck! Carlton, please. I need you. Please." Shawn begged. Lassiter didn't need to be told twice and he slowly pressed in until he was buried to the hilt.

Shawn screamed in a mixture of pain and pleasure as Lassiter pushed himself in. The detective, as disciplined as he was, had to call forth every ounce of willpower he had to stay still and allow Shawn to adjust. Right as Lassiter thought he would go insane from the tight heat around him, Shawn gave him a blessing in the form of one word, "Move!"

Lassiter willingly complied, moving slowly at first. Shawn's moans soon developed into screams as the man above him picked up the pace. As he thrust into Shawn, he found Shawn's prostate again, causing Shawn to cry out, "Carlton!"

Lassiter grabbed Shawn's neglected erection and began vigorously stroking him. Shawn, who was meeting Lassiter thrust for thrust, had started a mantra consisting of a series of profanities and the detective's name. Lassiter had his own mantra, saying, "Shawn, so good, so tight."

Lassiter, determined to make Shawn come first, somehow managed to thrust harder into Shawn, slamming into his prostate each time. Their pants and words that were once decipherable became nothing but moans and gasps and screams. Soon enough, Shawn was nearing his limit with Lassiter not far behind. The younger man tried to warn the other, but all that came out was, "Carlton!" and a scream.

Lassiter, however, knew that Shawn was close. His breathing was erratic, his screams were louder. So, he gave harder and faster thrusts and stroked Shawn even faster until he sent the man screaming his name over the edge as he came over Lassiter's hand.

"Carlton!"

As Lassiter felt Shawn's hole tighten around him as a result of his orgasm he thrust in two more times before he came, releasing his seed deep inside of Shawn with a scream of his own. With whatever strength he had left, he kept himself from collapsing onto Shawn.

The older man stared tenderly into his now-lover's eyes, both trying to catch their breaths. They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity before the detective pulled out of Shawn, who whimpered at the loss.

Silently, after Lassiter had cleaned his hand off, he pulled Shawn to his chest and wrapped his arms around the smaller man. He pulled the blanket over them, then held Shawn close. They were both so close to sleep, but Shawn had to say something. "Lassie?"

"Hmm?"

Shawn snuggled close to Lassiter, who just wrapped his arms tighter around Shawn. "I think I like this change."

Lassiter just laughed softly, which made Shawn smile from the feel of the vibrations in Lassiter's chest.

Slowly but surely, they two men drifted off to sleep, a sense of peace surrounding their unconscious bodies.


	3. Hera

**Hey all who read this! I realize my story chapters do not have any consistency in word count... That probably won't change. I'm horrible at consistency. I hope you all don't mind! I do try to keep my chapters over 5,000 words though. I hope that gives you an idea. Well, onwards to the story!**

* * *

Lassiter woke first. He almost panicked; he had no idea where he was nor the time other than the fact that it was after nightfall, if the skyline from the open window was anything to go by. But then he looked down at the body curled up in his arms and smiled as the memories of earlier came flooding back to him.

Who'd have thought that Carlton Lassiter would wake up next to a naked Shawn Spencer sleeping peacefully in his arms? He laughed softly at the thought. His laugh, however, stirred Shawn, who looked up at the detective with sleep laden eyes. His expression went from confused to content as he smiled at Lassiter. Then, the man dropped his face into the pillow and mumbled something, but the words were incoherent through the fabric of the pillow.

"What, Shawn?"

The psychic turned his head. "What time is it?" He asked, his voice husky from disuse.

Lassiter turned to the clock on the desk behind him. "Eight-thirty, why?"

Just then, realization dawned on both men. "Shit!" They said in unison.

Lassiter stepped out of bed and grabbed his clothes in record speed. Shawn, however, had no such luck. When he tried to stand up, a stinging pain went up his back and he yelped, falling to the floor.

Lassiter turned to the resounding thud, panicking when he realized it was Shawn. "Shawn!" He said, though when he got over to the man in pain, he was just brushed off.

"I'm fine, Lassie. I guess we just played it a little too rough last night."

The older man blushed. "Sorry…"

Shawn smiled. "It's fine. Besides," he smirked devilishly. "Totally worth it!"

Lassiter rolled his eyes, but helped Shawn up anyways. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Can you help me to the bathroom? I need to take a warm bath."

Lassiter nodded and took him to the bathroom, running warm water in the tub. "Shawn?"

"Yeah, Lassie?"

"Don't take this the wrong way but I'm curious. Have you ever been with…" Lassiter didn't know how to phrase it without sounding rude.

"With another man?" Shawn finished helpfully. Lassiter nodded. "Yeah, but I've never bottomed before."

Lassiter looked confused. "Bottomed?"

Shawn smirked. "You know, Lassie, with as good of gay sex as you give, you are clueless on the terms."

The detective's face turned a deeper shade of red. "I'll just take that as a compliment."

Shawn laughed. "But, in all seriousness, bottoming is when you take instead of give. You topped, obviously."

"Okay," Lassiter said. Then, "Wait. You've never… bottomed before?"

"No." At Lassiter's confused look, Shawn decided to tell him why. "I've always topped because I think bottoming takes too much trust. I've just never trusted anyone until now." Shawn smiled. "I guess you could say you completely took away my gay virginity." He laughed.

Lassiter turned the water off and helped Shawn into the tub, who hissed in protest. "Shawn?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

This time Shawn was confused. "For what?"

"For trusting me."

The gypsy smiled. "No problem. It is a weird thought though, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"I have a right to say that you're my first." Shawn smiled.

Lassiter leaned forward, kissing Shawn on the forehead. "Yeah. I guess you do."

"Well," Shawn said. "As much as I'd appreciate the view, you should probably get dressed. I don't think Hera would appreciate us being naked when she gets here."

Lassiter nodded and walked out to put his clothes on. After he was dressed he went over to Shawn's closet and pulled out a shirt, boxers, and some jeans that Shawn could wear. He walked into the bathroom again to see Shawn staring in his mirror at the bite marks on his neck. Lassiter leaned on the doorway, admiring Shawn and waiting for him to turn around. When he did, the gypsy yelped. "Uh…"

Lassiter sat the clothes on the sink and walked over to Shawn. He leaned in close to the brunette, his lips a hair's length away from Shawn's. "You know," he said in a deep voice, making Shawn unsuccessfully resist a shiver down his spine. "It's okay to admire them. I didn't bite you to cover them up."

Shawn gasped when Lassiter's lips finally pressed against his. It was a tender kiss not filled with pent up sexual tension, but was filled with the same amount of passion. They split up much too soon, but both knew they needed to be dressed.

Shawn put his clothes on, then went to the mirror and grimaced. "My hair is awful."

"You know, with phrases like that, it's no wonder you're gay." Lassiter teased.

Shawn just glared, but it held no real malice. "Maybe I like to look good and not like a school boy, unlike the Head Detective in my bathroom."

"Well, what do you expect me to do about it?" Lassiter smirked, defiantly crossing his arms.

Shawn crossed the bathroom to Lassiter and took off his suit jacket. He then proceeded to roll the sleeves up on his dress shirt just passed his elbows and untucked the shirt from his pants. "There. Now you don't look like a school boy." Shawn smiled.

Lassiter looked down at himself. If Shawn thought he looked presentable then he would go with it. "You should leave your hair alone. I like the way it looks."

"What? Like trash?" Shawn said as he stared back into the mirror.

"No." Lassiter answered as he wrapped his arms around Shawn's middle. Kissing him on the neck, he said, "I rather like this look."

"And what would you call this 'look'?" Shawn asked, bending his neck to allow the detective better access.

"Ravished." Lassiter said simply.

Shawn smirked. "You make a valid point, detective."

Just then, the two men heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Lassiter asked Shawn.

"It's Hera. He aura is unmistakable." Shawn answered. "C'mon. Let's go and greet her."

Shawn took Lassiter's hand and led him to the front door. He let go of his hand only to open the door. "Hey, Hera! It's good to see you!"

Hera steeped into the apartment. As she did, Lassiter studied her. She was shorter than Shawn and older than Henry. Her hair was long and silver. It was pulled back into a loose braid. Her attire consisted of a pink dress shirt and black dress pants along with some high heels.

Lassiter wasn't the only one studying someone. The minute Hera walked into the apartment she knew. "You two slept together, didn't you?"

Shawn's eyes grew wide and Lassiter's face turned red. "Hera!" Shawn yelled.

Hera smiled. "Don't worry, Shawn. I told you I will not judge you. Especially now that I've met Detective Lassiter in person. He's confirmed my suspicions."

Lassiter narrowed his eyes at the woman. "What suspicions?"

Hera smiled. "Why don't we take a seat?"

Shawn guided everyone to the couch. Hera sat in the side chair. "So, to get straight to the point…" Hera said. "Shawn, Lassiter, you two are what the gypsy community calls Soul Mates."

Shawn's eyes widened. "Wha…"

"I'm sorry, what?" Lassiter asked.

Are you two deaf? I said you two are Soul Mates!"

"How do you know this?" Lassiter asked, needing no explanation as to what a Soul Mate was. Shawn, however, was still speechless.

"Well, my suspicions first started when Shawn came to me saying he couldn't read you."

"What does that mean?"

Hera turned to Shawn. "Care to elaborate?"

Shawn blinked, coming back to the present. He turned to face Lassiter. "Not being able to read you means I can't see your aura, feel your emotions, or see your past and future. My powers are useless on you."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Hera began to speak again. "This is because Shawn's soul sees you as a part of him. Shawn can't do any of that with himself either."

"What confirmed your suspicions?" Lassiter asked.

"I saw both of your auras. They've changed to match each other. They're the same color and everything. Your auras also keep interlacing." Hera smiled. "Your bond is very strong. I've never met two people, Soul Mates or not, with a bond as strong as yours."

That made the two men smile at each other. "Okay, Lassiter," Hera started. "I'm required to do this now that you're Shawn's Soul Mate."

"Do what?"

"You are going to be a permanent part of Shawn's life, regardless of if you want to be. You understand this, yes?" She asked.

"Of course." He said without hesitation.

"Then you must also know this grants you access to gypsy secrets. You must know them to keep him safe."

The detective's eyes widened. He had so many questions, but instead he just calmed down and said, "Alright."

Shawn leaned over to Lassiter's side and kissed him on the cheek. "This is a good day." Shawn said. He scooted closer to Lassiter, said man rolling his eyes, muttering, "Come here", and pulling Shawn into his lap.

Hera smiled, watching the interaction between the two. They were adorable together. "Well, let's get this lesson underway, shall we?"

"Okay." Shawn said.

"Shawn, tell Lassiter what it means to be a gypsy."

The sudden change in the tone of Hera's voice shocked Lassiter. It was as if she went from this mother figure who was meeting her son's significant other for the first time to a strict teacher. It didn't phase Shawn apparently because he just listened without missing a beat. As Shawn began speaking, he grabbed Lassiter's hands and wrapped them around his waist. "A gypsy is a human, just like everyone else. We are born for a purpose, just like everyone else, and we don't know what that purpose is, just like everyone else. We never hurt others and we respect those who deserve it, not those who don't. We live and breathe because Fate put us here to find our purpose. We don't discriminate because we know that everyone comes from the same heart. We separate ourselves from the powerless not because we are better or superior; we are not. We separate ourselves because we have made it our goal to protect the powerless, just as they do us. In order to protect the powerless, however, we mustn't tell them what is out there. If we told them the truth, the powerless would become fearful, and that is not our goal."

Lassiter soaked all of this information in like a sponge. "What _is_ out there?" He asked.

Shawn swallowed nervously. If it were him in Lassiter's place, it would be a lot to take in. "Did you know that every fiction story has a bit of truth?"

"Vampires?" Lassiter asked.

"Not sparkly." Shawn answered.

"Werewolves?"

"Currently at war with the vampires."

"Shapeshifters?"

Shawn smiled. "Those people are great actors and actresses. I've met a few. They are nice people."

"How about Scientology?"

Shawn laughed. "Now that story is the only exception to the rule. They are one-hundred and ten percent powerless and one-hundred and fifty percent crazy."

"Huh." Lassiter said simply.

"Shawn?" Hera began. "Tell him our weaknesses."

"Oh! Right! Well, we are bound by red silk. Our powers are useless if we come into direct contact with it. Another thing that binds us is a contract written on a blessed parchment known as gypsy scroll. Basically, if we sign our name on a contract written on it, we cannot break that contract else we cause ourselves pain. We can be killed just like the powerless."

"I'm assuming the powerless are anyone that doesn't have gypsy abilities." When Shawn nodded, he continued. "But why red silk?"

"Well, red is the color of blood and silk is the garb of the rich. In ancient times, the rich were horrible people who used their money for their own personal gain. In our world, red and silk symbolize death and selfishness. Fate decided to use this to its advantage by using red silk as a defense mechanism in case we tried to use our powers negatively."

"That's very good, Shawn." Hera complimented, smiling. "Now we have today's lesson." She motioned for the men to stand up and face each other, which they did. "This lesson will be for the both of you. It is about the Soul Mate bond."

Shawn smiled at Lassiter. "Okay!" He said enthusiastically.

"Lassiter? I want you to order Shawn to do something. Shawn? I want you to say, no."

The two men looked confused, but complied. Lassiter said the first order he could think of. "Shawn, put your hands against the wall."

Shwawn opened his mouth to say no, but what came out was, "Okay." To Lassiter's amazement Shawn put his hands on the wall.

"What just happened?" Lassiter asked.

"It's called the Dominant's Command. Shawn is your Submissive. As the Submissive, he has to do what you tell him to until you say otherwise."

"Come here, Shawn."

Shawn released the wall and walked over to Lassiter.

"Now, Shawn. I want you to initiate a kiss. Lassiter, you will let him." Shawn glared at his mentor, who just gave him a shocked look. "I'm not a damned voyeur! Just do it!"

Shawn, shrugging his shoulders, turned to Lassiter doing exactly as he was told. He cupped Lassiter's cheeks, pressing his lips to Lassiter's. They both lost themselves in the kiss, but when Shawn tried to dominate the kiss, Lassiter immediately grabbed Shawn's wrists and pushed him agains the wall a little too hard, making Shawn gasp, giving Lassiter control again. The detective soon came to his senses at how hard he pushed Shawn. "Are you okay?" He asked. "I'm sorry." He then kissed Shawn's temple in apology.

"I'm fine."

Lassiter turned to Hera. "What was that?"

"That was your show of dominance. As primal as this sounds, you won't let Shawn have dominance because that's not his place." She explained.

Hera took a deep breath and, to Lassiter, it looked as if she were preparing herself for something. "Now," she began. "Next thing."

Hera pulled a pocket knife from her purse. At first, Lassiter thought she was going to make them cut their hands and shake on something like from the movies, but when she proceeded to charge at Shawn with the knife, the detective reacted faster than he ever thought he would be able to. He grabbed her arm and bent it far enough not to break it, but enough to cause her to drop the knife. Not realizing she had another knife, she reached over to stab Lassiter but this time Shawn reacted. He held out his hand, causing Hera to stop in her tracks. He then moved his hand over to the wall where she followed, knife still in her hand. He held out his other hand, causing the knife to fly out of her hand and into his.

Lassiter watched this in awe. "Shawn, let her go." He commanded. Shawn obliged.

"Sorry..." He said, lowering his hand.

Hera blinked when she could control her body again. "Shawn, when did you develop telekinesis and mind control?"

Shawn furrowed his brow in thought. "I think I've had telekinesis... The mind control is new though." Shawn then proceeded to tell Hera about Marshall and the gun. Well, as much as he could. It was still an ongoing police investigation.

"I see." She said with a serious look. Then, as quickly as it had come, she smiled. "Well then. I'm sorry for trying to stab you two, but it had to be done."

Lassiter looked a little skeptic. "I'm sorry if I sound a little pro-life here, but how exactly does attempted murder prove anything?"

"Self-preservation." She said as if it explained everything. When it didn't, she said, "You both know a human, when in danger, will do anything to stay alive if he or she has the means of doing so, correct?" They nodded and she continued. "Well, this is kind of the same thing. Now that you two are bonded you won't be able to live without the other. Not only are you two highly protective of each other, but you're also – in retrospect to your auras – the same person. By that I mean your auras are the same, as discussed earlier. If one dies, the other will too."

Lassiter suddenly felt grateful for the Dominant's Command he had over Shawn. _That idiot will walk into a furnace if it meant finding a clue._ He thought miserably.

Hera sat back down on the chair, prompting the others to sit as well. "So," she began. "Tell me about how this," she motioned towards the two of them, meaning their relationship. "Started."

Shawn's eyes lit up. He began animatedly telling every detail about the two of them. For the next two hours, that's all that was spoken about. Occasionally, Lassiter would interrupt when Shawn would tart veering away from the topic or the truth, but reserved himself, only making a sound when he laughed.

At the end, Hera stood up. "Well, it's getting late. I'll see you both at the next meeting."

Shawn smiled and led her to the door. After trading goodbyes and Hera's departure, Shawn shut the door.

To Lassiter's surprise, Shawn did a running jump over the coffee table, landing right in the detective's lap. "Jesus, Shawn!" He managed to get out before he got a mouthful of the psychic.

Shawn thought he'd have to be careful when he kissed Lassiter. The older man was the dominant one and his instincts would take over if Shawn didn't catch himself. However, to Shawn's delight, acting as the Submissive was second nature to him. Earlier, when Hera had told him to dominate the kiss, it felt wrong. His whole being had quickly adjusted to the Submissive role and that made Shawn's heart flutter. They really were made for each other.

Reluctantly, Lassiter broke the kiss, but pressed his forehead against Shawn's. "Are you hungry?" The detective asked. "I can take you somewhere if you'd like."

As much as Shawn wanted to be out in public with his Soul Mate, it probably wasn't a good idea. Someone might see them and recognize them. That would be awful for Lassiter's career. When the psychic explained this to his boyfriend, he grudgingly agreed.

"I just don't get why we can't tell anyone…" Lassiter grumbled.

"Well, for one, a gay Head Detective is going to have problems, particularly with those who are against that sort of thing. Even if we told everyone we are Soul Mates –which we can't by the way because it's a gypsy secret – there would still be people who will challenge your authority just because of that and I don't want to be the cause of your discomfort at the station."

Lassiter pulled Shawn into a soft yet heartfelt kiss. "Shawn, I don't like the idea of keeping you as my dirty little secret. You know that, right?"

Shawn buried his face into the detective's shoulder. "Then what should we do?" He asked.

Lassiter wrapped his arms around the man in his lap. "We could tell people, but only if they ask. We'll keep it discreet, but we won't be closed off. Is that okay?"

Shawn sat up, a smile making its way across his features. "Yeah. That's great."

Lassiter leaned in, placing a quick kiss on his lover's lips. "Good. I don't think I could ever do it, keep you a secret, I mean. I've wanted this for far too long."

Shawn furrowed his brow in thought. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Well you sure have a weird way of showing it." He mumbled. "How long?"

Lassiter looked away. "I tried to deny it for a while, but when it comes down to it… probably the day you were shot and kidnapped."

Shawn's eyes widened. "That long?"

"Well, yeah, why? How long ago did you figure it out?"

Shawn scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "To be honest, I can't put it to an exact date. I just came to realize what was already there."

Just then, the detective started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Shawn asked, unable to hide the smile making its way across his face once more.

"Don't you think it's ironic?" Lassiter said, a grin spread across his lips, the remnants of his laughter.

"What is?"

"I'm supposed to notice hidden details for a living and you have an eidetic memory along with psychic powers, yet we didn't notice that happiness was looking us in the face. It was right in front of us and we still didn't see it!"

"That's… actually a good point, but you know what they say, if you want to hide something, hid it in plain sight." Shawn chuckled a bit. "It seems Fate wanted us to have a challenge when it came to our happiness." Shawn pecked Lassiter on the cheek. He then whispered in the detective's ear. "I love a challenge."

Lassiter groaned at the feel of his Soul Mate's breath on his ear. However, as quick as it had come, it was gone along with the pressure of Shawn's body in his lap. _Damned tease._ Lassiter inwardly grumbled.

"So, Lassie. You want me to make you anything specific?"

"That depends. Are you ever going to stop calling me that?"

Shawn smirked. "In your dreams, Lassie."

"Okay, then what are you going to make?"

"Food!"

Lassiter snorted in disbelief. "You? Cooking? Now this I've gotta see."

Shawn began to pull random ingredients from all around the kitchen. Eventually he had pulled out what Lassiter would guess was the makings of spaghetti.

The detective, while Shawn cooked, leaned against the wall, mesmerized by Shawn. He practically danced around the kitchen, humming a pleasant tune as he cooked.

All too soon, though, the show stopped and Shawn was putting the spaghetti onto plates. Once dished, the psychic handed a plate over to his boyfriend hesitantly. "I didn't poison it, Lassie. You were watching."

Lassiter blinked. "That's not…" He shook his head. The food looked really good so he took a bite. It tasted even better than it looked. "Oh my God."

Shawn's eyes widened. "Do you not like it?"

"Shawn, this is amazing! Where did you learn to cook?"

Shawn sighed in relief. "Well, when my mom split to go after her career when I was fifteen, neither my dad nor I knew how to cook. Dad didn't have the time to figure it out so, when I wasn't on suicidal rampages, I learned to cook."

Lassiter nodded. "Shawn, can I ask you a personal question."

Shawn nodded. "Ask away."

"Were you mad when your mom left?"

Shawn thought about it. "I'll admit at first I was, but hey. What kid isn't when their parent's career takes precedence over his or her family?"

"What changed?" Lassiter urged.

"I found out why she let her career get the best of her." At Lassiter's confusion, Shawn continued. "I'm sure you know I put my dad through hell after my biological mother was… you know. That doesn't mean I didn't do the same things to Mom as well. I put her through just as much as my dad.

"I'll be honest with you. I hated Henry Spencer. I wished every day that he would finally leave me alone so I could live my life or, in my case, end it. Today I realize I hated him because he was my father figure and I connected him with Luke automatically. I was scared to get close to him because I was afraid he would try to hurt me.

"Madeline was a different story. I didn't hate her, but I sure as hell acted like it. I tried so hard to get her to hate me because then I knew I couldn't love her. I'd have an excuse not to get attached to her and I could live with the idea that if Henry killed her, I wouldn't be as devastated as when Luke killed my biological mom.

"But Mom, being the psychologist that she is, saw through everything. When she confronted me about it, I freaked. I told her that she had to leave, or I would." Shawn closed his eyes, the tears falling down his cheeks. "Mom and Dad signed the divorce papers not long after that.

"I found out later that, before Mom left, she left me a note. It said that I shouldn't blame the divorce on myself and that she'd been planning this for a while. She said that she wanted to pursue her career because she never wanted to see kids have to go through what I went through. How could I be mad at her for that?

"Henry never once blamed me for her leaving. We actually became closer because of it." Shawn laughed. "Some say that divorce is mentally degenerative. I found it therapeutic. I realized what I was doing and, though I had quite a few slip ups, I tried to get better. I didn't get completely better until I met you though."

Lassiter smiled affectionately. "Why is that? Your father told me you changed, but he didn't know why."

Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it was because of the challenge." He said. "I felt normal around you and, at the time, that was something foreign to me. Everyone always treated me differently, as if I were about to break. Whether it was my dad's training, Mom's overanalyzing, or Gus' overprotectiveness, I hated it. You, on the other hand, treated me like any other person and I am grateful for that. And let's not forget I can't feel your emotions or anything like that. You gave me the sense of normalcy no one else could." Shawn put his empty plate on the counter and walked over to Lassiter. Placing his hands on Lassiter's chest, he looked up into deep blue eyes. "Thank you, Lassie."

Lassiter leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to Shawn's lips. "I'm glad I could help." The detective moved from Shawn long enough to set his plate down as well. "Shawn?"

"Hmm?"

"I hate to change the subject, but what time is it?"

Shawn turned to stare at the digital clock on the stove. "Oh shit! Lassie! It's almost two in the morning! You've got to sleep!"

Lassiter laughed softly. "It's okay, Shawn."

"No it's not!" Shawn said stubbornly. "You should probably head back to your place." Shawn said without much conviction. "You're gonna be exhausted in the morning."

Lassiter smirked. "I really should go home, shouldn't I?"

Shawn narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What's with that smirk?"

Lassiter pulled Shawn into his arms once more. "You could come with me."

Shawn pulled away. "Oh no, Lassifrass. You know as well as I do how that will go, though I wouldn't mind doing that again. I don't want you going all Jack Nicholson from The Shining on me cause that would make me Shelly Duvall and I'm really not in the mood for that! So you need to sleep and…" Shawn trailed off.

"Shawn?" Lassiter asked hesitantly.

"Oh my God…" Shawn said, holding a hand to his lips.

Lassiter was suddenly concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I think the world has officially ended."

"Why?"

"How come I'm the one being responsible instead of you?"

Lassiter thought the psychic was joking but at the look on his face, the detective lost it. He laughed.

"Don't laugh! This is horrible! Have we unknowingly switched personalities? Lassie! Quick! Do I have a stick up my ass?"

Lassiter glared. "I do not act like I have a damn stick up my ass!"

Shawn laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Lassie."

The detective, in an attempt to keep face, mumbled, "Well, at least I wasn't second guessing my personality..."

Shawn half-glared, folding his arms across his chest. "Shut it, Lassie! You've lived slightly longer than me! You've had more of a chance to ensure that your personality is really yours!"

"Calm down, Shawn. You're just looking out for me." He placed a kiss on Shawn's cheek. "Thank you."

Shawn tried to hide the smile creeping its way across his features, but failed miserably. "It's about time you thanked me..." He mumbled.

By then, Shawn and Lassiter had walked to the door. Shawn opened it and Lassiter stepped into the doorway. "Goodnight, Lassie." Shawn said. "Now go before I change my mind and take you up on your offer."

Lassiter kissed Shawn deeply, letting the psychic feel every emotion he felt today through his passion instead of his abilities. Shawn reveled in the feeling. Being able to feel his Soul Mate's emotion was practically heart stopping.

Shawn whimpered as Lassiter reluctantly pulled away. "Goodnight Shawn. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah." Shawn said, eyes still closed in remembrance of the kiss.

It took everything Lassiter had to make himself leave. Every part of him was telling him to get back to Shawn. It only got worse when he started his car. He started to put his car in reverse, but apparently his mind and body were betraying him because instead of pulling the gear shift in reverse he put it back in park, turned off the car, and got out.

Shortly thereafter, Lassiter found himself knocking on Shawn's doorstep. Lassiter was going to knock, but Shawn opened the door before he could. When he saw the detective, he had a surprised yet happy expression on his face. However, before Shawn could greet Lassiter, the older man said, "Come with me."

Shawn's face lit up, completely forgetting why he didn't want to go with Lassiter in the first place. "Hold on. Let me get some clothes." He mumbled as he ran to his room.

Lassiter waited patiently for his Soul mate to return. When he did, Lassiter held the door open, letting the younger man walk out. Shawn locked his door and they walked together to the car in a comfortable silence, Lassiter's arm around Shawn's shoulders.

It took about ten minutes to get to Lassiter's but when they arrived, the detective noticed Shawn had already fallen asleep. Lassiter just stared. Shawn's mouth was hanging open, his head leaned against the car window. He smiled, thinking, _too adorable._

Gently, Lassiter nudged Shawn awake, said man mumbling soemthing along the lines of, "I'm up." When they were in the house, Shawn dropped his clothes on the floor and leaned into Lassiter. "Carry me. I'm too tired to move."

Lassiter was about to retort with a resounding 'no,' but decided against it. He loved the feeling of Shawn in his arms. Plus, what would tomorrow bring? Something could easily happen to one of them, especially with their current occupation choices. The last thing Lassiter wanted was for his Soul Mate to feel unwanted on their last night together in the living world. _Jesus..._ Lassiter thought. _I'm so morbid._

Lassiter picked Shawn up bridal style and carried him to his bed. Surprisingly, he received little complaint from the smaller man. He then set Shawn down gently and went to his closet for some sleep wear. Pulling out some sleep pants and a tank, he stripped and put them on. Shawn, meanwhile, was sitting on the bed dozing off. "Shawn?" Lassiter questioned while trying to hide his smirk at Shawn's amusing state. "Shawn, where are your sleep clothes?"

"Didn't bring none..." He mumbled.

Lassiter almost laughed. "Well here." He said, throwing Shawn his dress shirt. "Put that on."

Very slowly, Shawn stripped until he was clad in his boxers. Then he slipped Lassiter's shirt on which was, surprisingly, too big for the psychic. For Lassiter, it was a beautiful sight. Seeing Shawn in his clothes was quite a turn on, but he didn't go anywhere with it. He just crawled into bed beside his Soul Mate, set his alarm, and wrapped his arms around the smaller man. It didn't take long for them both to fall asleep.

* * *

**I feel like this chapter was very informative, yet slow. Sorry about that. It's just that I have to introduce everything first... Oh well. Did you like it? Review maybe? Constructive Criticism? I accept all criticism! Unless it's mean... I don't do mean.**


	4. The Amazing Shawn Spencer

**I am so sorry! I know I haven't posted in a while, but I swear to whatever God/Goddess/Higher Power/Coincidence (for all you atheists out there! I respect you even though I do believe in a higher power!) that you believe in that I have NOT given up on this story! I just got my first job and I have final exams coming up so I'm pretty busy. I can only work on this during school and that's not a lot of time... Okay, enough with the excuses. ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

Lassiter woke to Shawn groaning at the sound of his eight o'clock alarm. Lassiter reached around and turned the alarm off, sitting up afterward. He then dragged himself to the bathroom to start his morning routine.

He was pouring some coffee when he realized Shawn was still not awake, so he went into the bedroom. What he found was quite a sight.

Shawn had fallen on the floor, part of his leg draped over the bed. He had pulled the blanket and some pillows down with him. The detective smiled affectionately. It was too bad he had to wake him. The view was quite comical.

"Shawn?" He whispered, tapping Shawn's shoulder. "Shawn, you gotta get up. We're leaving soon and you g otta get ready."

"'M up..." Shawn mumbled as he sat up.

Lassiter could've died from how adorable his sleep laden boyfriend looked. Shawn's hair was in complete disarray and his eyes were attempting to glare at him for waking him up, but it was failing miserably. So, Shawn gave up on the glare and leaned to place a lazy, quick kiss on Lassiter's lips. The psychic then got up and walked to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later Lassiter was greeted in the living room by a half-naked Shawn, clad only in a towel. He was still quiet; apparently Shawn only began to wake up when he had his coffee, which was what he was grabbing.

_Thank God I set a mug out for him._ Lassiter thought. _Who knows what his reaction would have been if I hadn't._

As Shawn turned to drink his coffee, Lassiter studied him. The towel hung low on his hips, revealing his defined features as well as a bit of hair. The patch of hair lead upwards, stopping just under his bellybutton. Further up revealed a slightly toned chest bare of any hair. Lassiter, who hadn't noticed them before, saw all the scars that marred his lover's flesh. The strange part was, though, he didn't hate the fact that they were there. He did hate the reason they were there, but the actual scars? No. That would require Lassiter to hate a part of Shawn and he just couldn't bring himself to do that.

"Shawn?" Lassiter called hesitantly, goading his reaction. When Shawn looked up from his coffee, Lassiter continued. "Why don't you go get dressed? We have to leave soon."

Shawn downed the rest of his coffee and walked over to his lover, pressing his hands against the detective. Lassiter sat his mug on the counter and wrapped his arms around Shawn's waist, pressing his nose into Shawn's hair. He could smell the shampoo the gypsy used. It was Lassiter's, of course, but there was something uniquely Shawn about the scent that drove Lassiter crazy.

It was amazing to Lassiter how easily they fit into the couple scenario. They'd been together less than twenty-four hours yet they could do things as if they'd been dating for months or even years. _Maybe it's because of the bond._ Lassiter thought, but he knew there was more to it than that. Yes, the bond was a part of it, but there was also the fact that they had known each other for years. They knew each other's tendencies, likes, and dislikes. They were comfortable with each other. _This relationship was bound to happen._ Lassiter thought as he remembered their past actions towards each other. _There was too much sexual tension between us._

Lassiter pulled away from Shawn's embrace long enough to be able to lean down and kiss him. Shawn tasted of coffee, mouthwash, and something unidentifiable yet completely Shawn. When he reluctantly pulled away, he spoke. "Shawn, you need to go get dressed."

Shawn smiled, his lips still tingling from his lover's kiss. "Be right back."

Twenty minutes later Shawn was dressed and currently sitting in the car with Lassiter driving. When they arrived at the police station, Lassiter stopped Shawn before he could get out of the car. "Yes, Lassie?"

"Discreet, but not closed off, correct?" He asked.

Shawn smirked. "Of course! Who do you think will guess first? I'll bet you twenty bucks that Jules will get it first."

Lassiter glared. "I'm not playing this future-telling game with a psychic."

Shawn pouted. "Aw! Come on! I promise I don't know yet!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you could know in the near future."

"But... Okay... Good point... My abilities are random. But could you just tell me? We don't have to make a bet out of it."

Lassiter thought about his compromise and decided for it. "Honestly? I think McNab will guess first."

Shawn scrunched his face in thought. "As much as I like Buzz, why him?"

Lassiter shrugged his shoulders. "He's very perceptive. I think he'll be a great detective one day." He said.

Shawn beamed. "That is the first time you've said anything nice about Buzz! I'm so proud of you!"

"I've said nice things about him!" Lassiter said defensively.

"When?" Shawn countered.

"Um, let's see. How about..." Lassiter trailed off, not actually sure about any nice thing he's said to anyone. "Jesus. I'm an asshole."

Shawn chuckled. "But you're my asshole, right?"

Lassiter smiled. "Of course, Love."

Shawn smiled warmly at the term of endearment.

At that the two men got out of the car and walked into the station. At the door they were greeted by Buzz McNab, who smiled brightly at the two of them. "Hey Shawn, Detective Lassiter."

"Hey Buzz! How's it going?" Shawn greeted cheerily.

"It's great! I think the Chief is looking for you though."

Shawn thought about that. "I wonder why." He said, turning to Lassiter.

The detective shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe you should go?"

Shawn pouted. "Aw, but Lassie! I love to get you all bothered up! Why would I leave you?" The psychic then proceeded to waggle his eyebrows.

Lassiter, triumphantly ignoring the need to laugh and Buzz's confusion, said, "Because the Chief ordered it. Now go, Spencer."

Shwan mock-saluted Lassiter. "Ay-ay captain! Or should I say 'ay-ay Head Detective?' But that would make sense. But, then again, we aren't on a boat so theoretically I can use any title I want."

"Spencer."

"But we're in Santa Barbara, a coastal city, so would boat rules apply?"

"Spencer."

"But I don't say I'm turning starboard or port when I'm driving so maybe they don't apply... at least on land..."

"SPENCER!"

"Yes, Lassie?" Shawn answered, finally acknowledging Lassiter.

"You were rambling."

Shawn mouthed an 'oh' and apologized. "Sorry."

"Just go to the Chief's office!"

Shawn nodded and ran to the Chief's office, waving at Juliet as he passed. When the Chief noticed she was not alone in her office, she spoke, getting straight to the point. "Mr. Spencer, I just wanted to apologize for my indecent behavior yesterday. I pushed you when you obviously didn't need it and I'm sorry."

Shawn smiled; he'd been doing that a lot lately. "It's fine, Chief. I just don't like people prying into my personal life. I got defensive and I know you were just trying to help."

Chief Vick smirked. "You know, that was probably the most mature thing you said to me since I've known you."

Shawn grinned devilishly. "Don't worry about me, Chief. I'll have to make up for it eventually." Shawn looked out the office glass windows. "Oh! Look there! Lassie's doing paperwork? Wouldn't it be a shame if I went over there and provoked him?"

Chief Vick looked as if she were about to say something – probably a warning – but Shawn was already out the door to Lassiter's desk.

The Chief watched in dreaded anticipation as Shawn whispered something in Lassiter's ear. Within seconds her Head Detective's face became as red as a tomato as he began throwing pencils childishly at the psychic, who began to run away when the detective stood up.

This had the Chief intrigued. This had to be a new record for Shawn. It took him a mere five seconds to anger the older man. What could he have possibly said?

"Mr. Spencer! Detective Lassiter! I think that's quite enough rough-housing. I'm not done with you yet either, Shawn."

Shawn waved goodbye at an irritated Lassiter and practically skipped back to the Chief's office. "What else is there?" Shawn asked.

"I first want to know what the hell you said to Lassiter to make him so irritated!"

Shawn shrugged. "I told him that we should have a threesome with Gus or Jules. He got a little possessive." He laughed.

The Chief glared. "Don't lie to me, Mr. Spencer."

Shawn smirked. "How do you know I'm lying?"

The Chief thought about that. Were Shawn and Lassiter in a relationship? The tension between the two was phenomenal, but was it still there? _I'll have to wait and see._ She thought. "Shawn, what you do in your personal time is none of my business, so long as it doesn't interfere with your work here at the police station. What is my business is the case I'm hiring you for."

Shawn perked up. "A case? Of course! Hire away!"

The Chief grabbed a case file from her desk. "This case is a homicide. You will be working with – and I do mean with – Detectives Lassiter and O'Hara. If I hear of any feuding between you and my Head Detective"-

She was cut off by Shawn holding his hand up. "Don't worry Chief. I'm pretty sure our differences are settled. Now, can I have the case file?" He said eagerly.

The Chief blinked. _Maybe Shawn is dating Lassiter._ She sighed. _At least this solves their constant bickering problem. I hope._ "Yes. Now take it to Lassiter. He'll need to look over it as well."

Shawn saluted her. "Yes ma'am!" Then he was out the door to Lassiter's desk shouting, "Lassie! We have a case!"

The Chief shook her head. "He sure does have a lot of energy..."

Meanwhile, Lassiter looked up from his paperwork on his current case at the sound of Shawn's voice. He blinked. "I thought I was working the Marshall case?"  
"Nope. Guess not. Besides, you've already interrogated him. There's not much else..." Shawn trailed off, apparently fixated on something else.

"Spencer?"

No response.

Lassiter sighed. He'd seen this enough to know when Shawn was having a vision. So, instead of leaving the psychic to stand in the middle of the precinct, he guided Shawn to sit in the chair next to his desk. He then took the case file from Shawn's hand and began to read through it. However, before he got even halfway through the file, a rookie officer called Lassiter's name. "Um, excuse me. Detective Lassiter?"

"Hmm?" Lassiter grunted.

"Is that man alright?"

Lassiter rolled his eyes and glared at the officer. "Aren't rookie cops supposed to be briefed on all the consultants around here?"

"Well, I know that's the psychic, but his nose is bleeding..."

Lassiter's head turned quickly to Shawn, noticing the blood coming from his nose. "Shit..." Lassiter mumbled. "Go on. I'll take care of it." The rookie ran off just as Lassiter was saying, "Jesus Christ, Spencer! How much blood do you have in there?"

Just then Shawn gasped, signaling his conscious return. "Lassie, why are you holding my nose?"

"Because it's bleeding, Nimrod. Now what did you see?"

"It's about the case. It's a robbery homicide. I also know why the Chief put me on this case as well."

"And that would be why?"

"Because it's on gypsy land. I'm the only one that can get you, Gus, the Chief, Jules, and my dad on that land."

Lassiter pulled the ball of tissues away from Shawn's nose; it had stopped bleeding finally. "Why the Chief and your dad? I understand Guster, O'Hara, and me, but why them?"

"Because my vision told me to bring them, too."

Lassiter rolled his eyes. "Oh, so now your visions are sentient entities that can talk to you?"

Shawn glared. "No! Visions are like videos in a movie theatre. I see them only once and I can't rewind. Also, in a movie theatre, management decides what movies to show. I receive the visions in kind of the same way. The higher-ups, or Fate, decide what visions I receive."

Lassiter thought about that. "That… explains a lot, actually."

Shawn smirked. "I've been thinking about how to explain that to a powerless for a long time."

"So, what did your vision entail, exactly?"

"Well, I saw a necklace, the woman, and where her house was. I saw all of us on her property – that's how I knew the Chief and Dad had to go. I also got a glimpse of the robber. Before you freak out and take me to a sketch artist, I didn't see his face. I just heard his thoughts."

"It's definitely a man, though, right? What was he thinking, exactly?"

"He was threatened into stealing the necklace. Someone kidnapped his girlfriend. He had to steal it or the kidnapper would kill her."

"So we have a kidnapper and a missing necklace. The thing I'm wondering is what's so important about the necklace?"

Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe it's a stolen family heirloom?"

Lassiter brushed that idea off with a wave of his hand. "We can only speculate. Let's get everyone together. We need to get down there and see firsthand what happened."

Shawn nodded. "I'll call Gus and my dad. We'll leave as soon as they get here."

"I'll get O'Hara and the Chief." Lassiter said as he stood up. When Shawn pulled his phone out to dial either his dad or Gus, Lassiter went to the records' room; Juliet had wandered that way earlier so Lassiter logically would check there first. He found her just as she walked out.

"Carlton!" She jumped. "What're you doing back here?"

Lassiter glared. "I work here. I can be here if I want."

"Oh. Right."

"Anyways, I was looking for you." He said. "C'mon. We have a case to work."

Juliet nodded. She knew when Lassiter got that look it would be best to follow orders. She followed the Head Detective to the Chief's office, who looked up from her work. "Yes, detectives?"

Lassiter spoke, finally clearing the vagueness of the case they were supposed to be working on. "Spencer's had a vision."

"Okay, he does this all the time. Why does it involve me?" She asked.

"Apparently you, O'Hara, Guster, Henry, Spencer, and I are all supposed to be at the house that was robbed last night."

"Does he have a specific reason?"

"No. He just said we all need to be there."

The Chief mulled this over in her head. "Alright. Let's get going, detectives."

The three officers walked out to see Henry, Shawn, and Gus having a conversation about the case they were going to be working on. When they noticed the others had arrived, they stood up from their seated positions on the bench. "Alright everyone. I want you all to follow me and Gus to the gypsy reservation gate. I'll get you in."

Henry eyed Shawn suspiciously, but said nothing. Something was wrong, he could tell. Shawn wasn't telling the whole story. _The thing is, what is he hiding?_

The group of six then left the precinct and went to their respective vehicles. Shawn and Gus took the lead, as Shawn was going to give directions. They made it to the reservation in twenty minutes.

"Okay, Gus. Park here." Gus nodded, parked, and turned off his car.

As the two men got out, Gus asked, "Is there a reason we can't just drive in?"

"Of course."

Just then, the others walked up. "And that reason would be..." Henry said.

"You all need a visitor's pass." Shawn answered. The others just nodded. They all knew of the secrecy of the gypsies. It's no wonder they have a visitor system.

The group then walked up to the gate where they were stopped by two gypsies. "Hey, Shawn. Who're they?"

Shawn looked around, pretending he didn't know what the gypsy was talking about. "Oh, these guys? I'm taking them to the crime site. You know, with the stolen jewelry?" At the guards' suspicion, Shawn said, "Look. I'll deal with the repercussions later. I had a vision and they were involved. Three of them are police officers – which, by the way, you guys gave the case to them so you really shouldn't be complaining – one of them is my dad and the other is my best friend. I know them. They won't say a word."

The guards looked at each other, as if mulling it over between them silently. "They can come in on one condition. You will go to the council first. They will not be allowed in otherwise."

Shawn nodded as the gate opened to reveal a town. It was filled with bustling people and busied buildings. In the center was a large courthouse-like building. The others followed Shawn into that building where a small reception desk was located. A small woman stood behind the desk. Before she could greet the others, however, Shawn spoke. "I demand an emergency council meeting.

The woman, in a formal voice, said, "What is your reasoning?"

"I want to allow five powerless onto the reservation."

The woman's eyes widened. "Very well. Go through there. The council will be waiting."

Shawn nodded once. "Thank you." Then, he turned to the others. "C'mon guys. We've got a council to meet!" He said in his usual carefree tone, though inside he was panicking. Lassiter could sense Shawn's unease, but left it alone. He wanted so much to comfort him, but Lassiter couldn't. Not in front of the others. He also knew that, if Shawn was nervous, the council must be pretty important to gypsy society. How could Lassiter even begin to understand how to comfort that?

The six walked into the council room where a group of five older women greeted them. They were sitting around a large table that resembled a larger version of the judge's seat in a courtroom. As Lassiter studied the room, he realized the whole place resembled a large courtroom. Lassiter's analyzing was cut short, however, by one of the councilwomen speaking.

"Shawn Spencer. What is the meaning of this?"

Shawn folded his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Another woman spoke. Lassiter recognized her instantly. _Hera? Shawn's mentor is a member of a council?_

"Shawn. How many times have I told you that the powerless are not allowed on the reservation?"

"I want to make an exception."

The other four councilwomen started bickering amongst themselves. Hera silenced them with a resounding, "Quiet!" When they were quiet, she continued. "Why do you want to make an exception?"

"Because"-

Shawn was cut off by another councilwoman. "You think because you are different you can just waltz in here making demands? Well think again boy! You still answer to us!"

"I'm not making demands..."

The woman ignored Shawn's refute. "No! I will not have you thinking you own this reservation just because you are a male gypsy with powers! You think you're special? Well, think again. You will answer to us just like the rest of this gypsy tribe."

Lassiter could practically see the anger rolling off Shawn in waves. The second the woman had stopped talking, the entire atmosphere was filled with a cold chill, originating from Shawn's body. When he spoke again, it was with more conviction than anyone had ever seen Shawn show. "Are you done?" Shawn asked, an underlying threat evident if she wasn't. When she didn't speak, Shawn continued. "You think just because I'm different that I think I deserve special treatment? Well then I think that council power you have has gone straight to your head. I have never thought I deserve special treatment.

"Councilwoman Hera, you've taught me that as a gypsy, our goal is to protect the powerless and keep our knowledge secret from them because they will fear what is out there. But we've all been taught that we are human, just like the powerless, therefore we are no different from them.

"Now, when I think of these concepts, I believe full-heartedly that we are corrupt. We hide our knowledge, yet we are the same as them? How is that protection. If the powerless don't know what's out there, how can they defend themselves?

"That is why I motion that you allow these powerless onto the reservation as a test. If they prove themselves worthy, then the other powerless should be allowed on the reservation as well."

Four of the councilwomen nodded their heads in agreement. The other one just refused to agree. "No! Fate has given us orders to obey! We mustn't listen to this boy!"

Hera spoke next. "But according to our records, Fate has also told us that things change with time. Maybe this is one of those things! I second Shawn Spencer's motion. Councilwomen, this calls for a vote. All in favor of allowing these powerless on the reservation, say I."

Four members said 'I.'

"Well then, state your names."

The five powerless introduced themselves.

"Juliet O'Hara, Karen Vick, Henry Spencer, Burton Guster, and Carlton Lassiter, by my right and the vote of the council, you are free to roam the reservation as you please. Remember, you are representing powerless everywhere as well as Shawn, so don't do anything you'll regret. Council dismissed."

The council then stood up and Shawn bowed his head, a sign of respect no one had ever seen him show before. When the psychic lifted his head, he turned to see five people staring at him expectantly. "What?" Shawn asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

Henry spoke first. "Shawn, you do realize what you just did, right?"

Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "You guys needed to get to the crime scene and that was the only way it could happen."

"Shawn, you could have very well changed history for both gypsies and us as well as put us all under a lot of pressure and all you can do is shrug your shoulders?"

"Dad, trust me. I know what I did. I know the implications of what I did, but it had to be done. I've been thinking about changing that rule for a long time, but I've never had the opportunity until now."

There was a bit of silence before Henry said, "Good job kid. We won't let you down."

Shawn smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

"Wait a minute," the Chief began. "What did he do, exactly?"

Shawn answered for everyone. "I gave you freedom to come on the reservation. That means I don't have to follow gypsy law and keep secrets from you all anymore."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. I'm like Morgan Freeman. Completely serious."

"Hey, Spencer."

"Yes, Lassie dear?"

"I need to talk to you. Alone." Said Lassiter in his usual no-nonsense tone.

"Hmm... Alright, but this better not be too long. We do have a robbery slash homicide to investigate."

Lassiter just nodded and practically dragged Shawn out of the courtroom, leaving the other four to stand there, wondering what just happened.

After a bout of silence, Henry said, "Twenty bucks says they're sleeping together."

There was an immediate sigh of relief from the Chief. "Thank God! I thought I was crazy for thinking that. Now I'm not the only one."

Juliet was the first to oppose. "Hold on!"

"What?" Henry asked.

"There's no way Shawn and Lassiter are sleeping together." Gus said.

"How so?" Henry challenged.

Juliet held up her hand, counting the reasons as she spoke. "Let's see... They are polar opposites, they fight all the time, they can't stand each other, and they try to get the better of each other all the time. How do you explain that?"

Vick spoke next. "Well, they say that opposites attract."

"And they fight all the time to deny their feelings, which is why they can't stand each other." Henry further explained.

"Oh, and they try to get the better of each other because of they're trying to impress the other, consciously or not." The Chief concluded.

Gus spoke up next. "I still go by what I said. There's no way they're sleeping together. You're on, Henry." He then held out his hand.

Henry took it, smirking. "We'll see, Gus. We'll see."

Meanwhile, after Lassiter had dragged Shawn into a bathroom, the detective pushed Shawn against the nearest wall. "A little rough today, are we?" That was all Shawn could get out before Lassiter's mouth assaulted his, making the psychic gasp.

Shawn grabbed and pulled at Lassiter's hair while Lassiter's hands bruised his slender hips. When they pulled away to breathe, Lassiter smirked. As vocal as the younger man was, he had become speechless. "You need to do that more often." Lassiter said, his voice low and filled with lust.

Shawn, with his half-lidded eyes, asked, "Do what?"

"You need to be more authoritative. It's..." Lassiter trailed off, not wanting to say the embarrassing comment out loud, but if there was one thing he knew about Shawn, it was that he was very blunt.

"It's hot?" Shawn suggested.

Lassiter laughed softly. "Yes."

Shawn smirked, blatantly eying Lassiter up and down. "I think we should take care of that." He nodded towards Lassiter's obvious erection. When Lassiter realized Shawn's meaning, he immediately spoke up, "Oh, no. I'm not having sex in a bathroom!"

"Oh c'mon, Lassie! It'll be different!"

"Yeah, and unsanitary."

Shawn moved his fingertips to unbutton Lassiter's shirt, said detective not doing anything to stop him. Apparently the older man was not as convinced with him choice as he sounded. "I promise I'll return the favor." Shawn whispered in Lassiter's ear. He then moved just slightly to place a light kiss on the detective's lips. That was all it took for Lassiter to cave. He pulled the psychic into the last stall in the restroom, once again pressing his mouth to his lover's lips.

Shawn busied himself with unbuttoning Lassiter's shirt the rest of the way as the detective left bite marks all over Shawn's neck. Eventually, Shawn's hard work paid off, revealing Lassiter's chest, which Shawn then proceeded to run his fingers across. Lassiter had managed to take off Shawn's shirt and take off his pants, which he was now stripping Shawn of. The two men were eventually naked after their obvious effort.

Before Lassiter could even react to having his Soul Mate's naked body before him, Shawn was on his knees. Lassiter was going to tell his lover he didn't have to do that, but all he could manage was an "Oh, fuck!" as Shawn enveloped the head of his cock in the heat of his mouth.

Lassiter was by no means small, yet Shawn took in every bit of Lassiter, deep-throating like a pro. Shawn worked at a quick pace, bobbing his head along Lassiter's shaft. The detective didn't want to hurt Shawn, but as he got closer to his rapidly approaching climax, he couldn't help but thrust into his willing mouth. Shawn seemed to take this all in stride because he grabbed Lassiter's ass, encouraging his thrusts. Soon enough, Lassiter came with a strangled cry deep in Shawn's throat, who swallowed all he could. When Shawn came back up, he smirked at Lassiter, who was still speechless. "Best blowjob you've ever had or what?" He boasted.

Lassiter just steadied his breathing. However, when he noticed Shawn was still hard, he pushed Shawn against the brick wall and kissed him for all he was worth. It was an erotic feeling, tasting his own cum. Between him kissing Shawn and the fresh memory of Shawn on his knees had Lassiter already growing hard again. The detective may be an older man but that didn't mean his libido was shot. He just hoped Shawn could keep up with him.

Lassiter pulled away from the kiss only to hold his fingers to Shawn's lips. "Suck," he ordered. Shawn obliged, taking the digits into his mouth. When Lassiter thought his fingers were well-slicked, he pulled them out of Shawn's mouth. He then had Shawn spread his legs to press his index fingers inside of Shawn. "Carlton..." Shawn moaned.

Lassiter quickly inserted his second finger, scissoring the two digits to stretch his lover. When Shawn was as prepared as he was going to get, the older man pulled his fingers out of the younger man and spit into his hand. He then quickly ran it up and down his cock as a lube supplement.

The detective lifted his gypsy to line himself up with his entrance. He pushed in just as Shawn wrapped his legs around Lassiter. The psychic clawed at Lassiter's back until the detective was buried to the hilt. When Shawn adjusted to Lassiter's cock inside him, he nodded to Lassiter, willing him to move. Lassiter quickly obliged. Shawn moaned loudly from the harsh thrusts.

Lassiter shushed Shawn. "You... don't want... them to find... us... do you?" He gasped.

Shawn shook his head. He bit his lip to keep from screaming, but he couldn't keep the whimpers that passed his lips.

Soon enough, Shawn was close. Unfortunately, he heard the door to the restroom open. Shawn immediately recognized the two auras. _Oh, fuck._ He thought. _Gus! Dad!_

Lassiter had to have heard the door open as well, but he didn't quiet his thrusts. Shawn covered his mouth to keep from crying out.

The two unsuspecting men, meanwhile, were currently having a debate.

"No! I still cannot accept that Shawn and Lassiter are sleeping together. There's just no way!" Gus said.

Shawn almost laughed.

"How could they not be? Shawn just went off with Lassiter earlier. He didn't even make a snarky comment at all. Shawn never stops those stupid comments of his. He knows Lassiter hates his stupid comments, so he stopped them. He would only stop them if he really cared about that person. Therefore, they are sleeping together." Henry explained.

Shawn heard a faucet turn on. "Whatever, Henry." Then he heard the bathroom door open and close. There was silence afterwards.

Lassiter suddenly slammed into Shawn, causing the younger man to cry out. "Carlton!"

Shawn felt Lassiter brush against his prostate. That was all it took for Shawn to lose it. He came hard on both of their chests. Lassiter came soon after, releasing deep inside of his Soul Mate. The two both collapsed onto the floor.

When the two men could move, Lassiter cleaned off both his and Shawn's chest. Then they both went to grab their clothes and changed.

"Ew..." Shawn said while zipping up his pants.

"What?" Lassiter asked.

"That is a nasty feeling." At Lassiter's questioning gaze, Shawn explained, "Putting on your pants with cum inside you is not a pleasant feeling."

Lassiter blushed. "S-sorry."

Shawn waved his hand in dismissal. "It's fine. I just hope I get home soon."

Suddenly, Lassiter pulled the gypsy into his arms and placed his lips against his. "You're amazing, you know that, right?"

Shawn smirked, though his carefree expression was offset by his blush. "Why do you think I have an answering machine that says 'The Amazing Shawn Spencer?'"

Lassiter laughed. "You're a smartass, too."

The detective opened the stall door allowing Shawn to walk out first. "So," Shawn began. "What did you think of my dad's and Gus' conversation?"

Lassiter fully laughed. "That was too funny. I thought you were going to lose it."

"Well, what I don't understand is how you can keep a straight face through that. Heh. _Straight_ face. Get it?"

Lassiter glared. "Ha, ha. Very funny. You come up with that by yourself?"

"Nope! I had your help!"

"To answer your question," Lassiter started, changing the subject. "I hear the dumbest shit every day from a lot of people who come into the station. I can keep a straight face when I want to."

Shawn nodded. "Huh. Never knew that." He paused, then, "Wait, is that why you never found my jokes funny? You were just holding your laughs in?"

Lassiter wasn't sure if he should answer truthfully for fear of adding to his boyfriend's overblown ego, but decided he didn't like to lie to Shawn. "I'll admit some were amusing…" He mumbled, but Shawn heard him all the same. The psychic jumped into the other's arms, pressing his lips against Lassiter's while making sure to give the detective his control. When he pulled away, Lassiter was smiling while he asked, "What was that for?"

"I knew you cared!" Shawn said, smiling in return.

Lassiter looked at him in disbelief. "I never said I didn't."

"Yes you have. Lots of times." Shawn countered.

"I'll admit I've said I never cared for your actions, but I eventually came to realize they were a part of you. However, I have never said I don't care about you."

Shawn thought about this. "You're right." Shawn grabbed Lassiter's tie and pulled him down, crushing his lips against the older man's. Lassiter reacted quickly and pulled Shawn flush against him by his hips. When they needed air, they pulled apart, gasping and gazing into each other's eyes.

"Christ, you're amazing, Shawn. I think I'm getting addicted." Lassiter said, through his heavy breathing.

Shawn, who was also gasping, said, "I already am."

They stared silently into each other's eyes, never wanting to forget this moment of pure bliss. However, both were sure that the others were getting suspicious of their prolonged absence.

Lassiter broke the silence first. "We should get going."

Shawn's shoulders visibly slumped. He wanted to stay longer in Lassiter's arms. "Probably." He sighed. "Let's go."

Lassiter held the door open for Shawn, who said something along the lines of, "Such a gentleman!"

Henry spoke first, for he was the first to notice their arrival. "What took you two so long?"

Without missing a beat, Shawn said, "Lassie wanted a tour and he didn't want to admit his fascination with the place in front of everyone." Lassiter glared, but didn't say anything. After all, he was no good at cover stories.

Henry didn't believe a word that Shawn had just said, but he had no evidence to prove otherwise so he let it go. _Gus is not going to win this bet._ Henry thought. _No way._

"So, are we ready to go?" Juliet asked. Everyone nodded. "Okay then. Let's get going."

The group reacted instantly. They each got in their respective cars; Juliet with Lassiter, Shawn with Gus, and Henry and the Chief in their own cars. Gus let Shawn drive; he had no idea where he was going and they were taking the lead.

"Man, this woman lived out in the boonies. How much land does the gypsy community own?" Gus asked his best friend.

Shawn shrugged. "I don't know exactly but it's a lot, I know that much."

"How did we not even cross this area? Don't you think as kids we would've come across it?"

Shawn smirked. "I don't know about other people, but I'm the one that kept you from going onto gypsy land. Don't you remember all those times I said 'we can't go in there' or 'I don't want to go in there?'"

Gus furrowed his brow in thought. "Mostly I remember you doing things you're not supposed to, but yeah. I remember you saying something like that."

"Well, this is why. It was gypsy land. I couldn't let you on else I get in huge trouble. I didn't have any authority like I do now."

"Authority?" Gus questioned.

Shawn smiled devilishly. "It comes with being the student of a member of the council."

Gus glared. "When did you become a student of one of _them_? And why? They're mean!"

Shawn laughed at his best friend's tone. "To make a long story short, she chose me as her student when I turned six. We are required to have a teacher who will help us understand what we are and why we're here."

"But why did this woman pick you? She must've known you're an idiot." Gus teased while Shawn glared.

"Don't make me go limp while driving." Shawn warned.

Gus' eyes grew wide. "Oh no, Shawn. The last time you did that we were almost killed! Why do you think I don't ever let you drive?"

"Ah, but the fact of the matter is we weren't killed, were we?" Shawn laughed at Gus' expression. "Anyways, to answer your question, she picked me because I was different and I would need somebody who could handle it."

"How so?"

"I'm the first male gypsy with powers."

At that moment, Gus' face resembled a fish out of water. "There are no other gypsies like you?"

Shawn smiled sadly. "Nope. It's just me. All alone."

There was a beat of silence before Gus said in a very serious tone, "Shawn, you will never be alone. You're too damned perky to not have people who care about you."

"Geez, you sound like my dad…" Shawn deadpanned.

As they pulled into the driveway, Shawn sensed something was wrong. Something about the house seemed… off, but he didn't say anything. _It's probably nothing._

The group gathered on the front yard of the dead woman's house. As the gypsy walked up the steps to the front porch with his Soul Mate, he grew antsy, confirming that he had a right to his earlier nervousness.

Lassiter was about to reach for the door, but Shawn stopped him. "Yes, Spencer? What is it?" Although his exterior was calm and indifferent, Lassiter's eyes were silently asking his spoken question with more sincerity.

"Let me grab the handle. I might be able to sense more."

"Do you think someone's in there?" Lassiter asked as he reached for his gun.

Shawn sighed. "I don't know for sure. I just think I might get something if I grab the door."

Lassiter stepped aside and gestured towards the door. "Go ahead."

Shawn nodded and, albeit hesitantly, grabbed the handle. When nothing happened he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Lassie?"

"Yes, Spencer?"

"I'm not sure it's safe. Let me go in first."

Lassiter glared. "You tell me, the cop, it's not safe and you want me to let you, the civilian, go in first? You're crazy, Spencer. Now move."

Shawn grabbed Lassiter's arm, pulling him back. "No!" He shouted, drawing the attention of the others who were standing in the yard. "This isn't something to be taken lightly. I'm not saying someone is in there. I'm saying something is in there!" Shawn dropped his volume. "It might not be human."

Lassiter, ever the stubborn one, refused to allow his submissive Soul Mate to go in unprotected. However, he was willing to compromise; he didn't know exactly what was going on and he knew Shawn had experience in the area of the unknown. "I'm not letting you in first, but I'll let you in after me, is that understood?" Lassiter said authoritatively, hoping that Shawn would listen to his Dominant's Command.

Shawn nodded. "Yes."

"Then let's go." Lassiter said as he reached for the door handle. When he opened it, his gun was pulled out and ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Lassiter went through and cleared the whole house of any suspects, human or otherwise. There was nobody he could see. As he returned to Shawn, he just hoped that there was nothing he couldn't see in the house.

"The house is clear Spencer. What were you so worked up…" He trailed off when he noticed Shawn wasn't listening. He was staring out at nothing in particular with his hand on the wall. _Another vision?_ Lassiter guessed.

The detective went outside, motioning for the others to come as well. "Where's Shawn?" Henry asked as soon as he walked in.

_Ever the overprotective one, isn't he?_ Lassiter thought. "Staring at a wall, why?" When Henry didn't understand, Lassiter explained. "It's probably a vision. He must've touched the wall and it happened."

Henry nodded, showing he understood. "Well, do we just wait until Shawn come back or do some investigating?"

"Let's look around. O'Hara, the Chief, and I will gather evidence." Lassiter replied.

Lassiter walked over to the room where the body was. She was an older woman, yet she looked healthy other than the fact that she was dead. "O'Hara," Lassiter called.

"Yes, Carlton?"

"What happened here?"

Knowing exactly what he was asking for, Juliet began to speak. "The victim's name is Mary Spinnett, age sixty-three. She was shot in the back of the head."

"Spencer mentioned something was stolen. What did the perp take?"

"A necklace."

The head detective nodded. "Gather some evidence. Have the Chief help. We are the only ones on this case so we'll be here a while."

Juliet's annoyed sigh turned into a gasp as a blood-curdling scream was heard throughout the house. Lassiter recognized the voice immediately. _Shawn!_

Completely forgetting his police training, Lassiter ran through the house in record speed. When he reached Shawn he saw him on the floor, convulsions wracking his body. "Shawn!" Lassiter called.

As if at the sound of his Soul Mate's voice, the psychic stopped seizing. When Lassiter was sure Shawn was done, he bolted over to help the younger man sit up.

By this time, everyone was in the room, watching the scene unfold before them. Lassiter, who really didn't care about the audience, cupped Shawn's face between his hands and said in a tender tone, "Shawn? Shawn, baby, c'mon. Wake up." He then placed a soft kiss on Shawn's forehead.

Slowly, Shawn's eyes fluttered open to reveal a worried Lassiter. "L-Lassie?" He said.

"Yeah, Shawn. It's me."

Tears began to form in Shawn's eyes. While this startled Lassiter, it did not keep him from comforting the psychic. He pulled Shawn into his arms, hoping it would help calm the younger man. When he seemed to calm down, Lassiter pulled away. However, he was still close enough to give Shawn the comfort of having a loved one close. "Hey, baby. You want to tell me what you saw?" Lassiter said.

Shawn nodded. "We have to get that necklace back." He explained. "It has some kind of magic in it. I've never seen it before, but the necklace is being used for something horrible."

Lassiter had so many questions, but only one came out. "What are they doing with the necklace?"

Shawn looked into Lassiter's eyes with so much fear that the detective couldn't help but feel a little fearful himself. "Lassie, somehow they're using the necklace to take away a gypsy's free will. They're controlling us."

* * *

**Pretty intense, right? If you think so, please review! If not, review anyways! I'd love to hear your thoughts! **

**On a side note... Who agrees with Lassie on bathroom sex?**


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